Learning to Live
by cuteyfruity
Summary: What happens when two sisters are forced to change their lives after a life changing experience?Being in boarding school for years now they have to step into the real world.love.friendship.and pain.Brucas,Naley,Jayton,BRALEY H&B
1. Moving on

**ok this is my first fanfic. I hope you like it.**

Looking back at their life they would have to say it has been great, but you can't help it if sometimes you don't get what you want. Never did they think that their parents' choice would bring them to this moment.

Haley and Brooke are sister, very different yet the same. Brooke is the fun free spirited girl, who loves to have fun. Haley on the other hand, is timid, simple and very smart. The sisters were well known for being sweet, and even though they were so different they were always together.

They never thought their life would change, yet at the young age of nine and ten they had a life changing experience. Moving across the country and leaving everything you love behind is hard, especially under the circumstances.

* * *

"Ok, it's all good... You look great, and there is nothing to worry about" Brooke said to herself nervously. It was the first day of school, and after attending an all girls boarding school she couldn't help but worry. As much as she new she would be ok, she was more worried about her sister.

Haley was in her room making sure she had all her school supplies in her backpack, when she heard Brooke come in. "Haley, we're going to be late." Brooke said folding her arms. "Now can we please go, I really need to make a good impression on my first day." Haley looked up at her sister who was now giving her a smile, she was wearing a purple silk shirt with skinny jeans and strapped sandals, her hair dark brown hair was down and parted to the side.

"Ok, let's go little one. I know how impatient you get when you don't get what you want." Haley told Brooke as she walked out of her room."Wait!" Brooke shouted, and saw Haley turn around with a panic look. "That is not what you're wearing! ...Right?" Haley was looking at Brooke, and couldn't think of anything wrong with her outfit. She was wearing skinny jeans with converse and a white tank. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Brooke walked to Haley and pulled the rubber band that held her ponytail together, and brushed her fingers through Haley's brown curly hair "There, all better". Haley gave her a smile, and walked out the door.

* * *

Because they were in boarding school, Haley managed to help Brooke get held up to her grade. Ever since the tragic change accident, they did everything together. Now that they were in the same grade, they had just about every class together.

As they arrived to school Brooke looked at Haley, let out a big sight and said "Welcome to Tree Hill High School". Haley looked at her sister with a smile, and placing her hand on Brooke's knee said "Let's make this a good year. Ok?" With that they walked out of their white convertible Volkswagen Beetle.

First period was history, and because it was a required they had it together. Walking in the class room Brooke grabbed Haley's hand, while Haley just walked to the teacher's desk and handed her the note that was given to them by the counselor. Mr. Wright looked at the note, and took a quick glance at the girls. "Ok, welcome to Tree Hill High School" he said with a smile, "you can take the two desks in the back" he told them as he pointed to the desks. The girls walked to where Mr. Wright had pointed, and took their seats.

When first period was over, Haley looked at Brooke and asked "So... Where do you go next?" Brooke quickly looked at her schedule, "Math, I have algebra two. What about you?" Haley gave her sister a worried smile and told her, "Math, but.... I have pre-calculus"."Oh. Well...We better get going; we don't want people at our next class to look at us like freaks." Haley smiled at her sister and picked her stuff up.

"Well... This is me" Brooke said pointing to her classroom, "I'll meet you at your locker after this class, Ok?" Haley looked at her with a concern look "Brooke, I'll be ok. I'll see you after class, ok?" She put her hand on Brooke's shoulder "Be good, we don't want any teachers complaining on your first day." With that said Haley walked to her next class, which was three doors down across the hall.

Haley took her seat next to a boy, a pretty cute boy. He had sandy blond hair and blue eyes, he was pretty tall. _'Jock'_ she thought to her self, lost in her thoughts she didn't even notice when the boy's hand stretched out towards her. He then waved his hand in front of her face "Hello, anybody there?" Haley looked at him with her brown eyes wide open. "Hi, I'm Lucas" the boy said, stretching his hand yet again. "Haley" she said shaking his hand. "Well is nice to meet you Haley, are you new here?" Haley was shocked that someone was talking to her, specially a boy "No, well yes" she said stumbling "what I mean is I'm not new in Tree Hill, but I am new to the school. My sister and I just moved here a couple of years ago, we went to an all girls boarding school."

Across the hall Brooke wasn't paying much attention, looking out the window she kept thinking to herself _'why do we have to be here on the first day? First day of school sucks, all you do is get a bunch load of papers to get sign.'_ Completely lost in her thoughts she did realize Haley standing right in front of her."Brooke. Brooke" Haley was waving her hand in her face. "Haley, what are you doing here" Brooke asked looking around the classroom, feeling really dumb when she noticed that everyone was gone."Brooke class was over about five minutes ago" Haley told her raising her voice "did you get lost in your thoughts again?" Brooke nodded. "Let's go, it's lunch time" Haley told Brooke handing her the algebra two book.

Both girls were seating on a table in the middle of the lunch room, they could feel people staring as they eat. Soon as Haley lifted her head to talk to her sister, she saw Lucas with a boy. The boy who looked a lot like Lucas had blue eyes, but had dark brown hair. Haley couldn't help but stare at the boy, she had never seen anyone like him before he looked mean, but if you took the time to look into his eyes you would see a big soft teddy bear. "Are this seat taken?" Lucas asked breaking Haley from her thoughts. "No" Brooke said rather quick, she was looking at the blond boy. "Lucas" Haley said as she looked at him. "Haley. This is Nathan" Lucas told the girls pointing to him. "Nice to meet you, Haley and..." Nathan trailed of shifting he's face from Haley to Brooke. "Brooke" Haley said fast, like someone was shooting the words out of her mouth, "this is my sister Brooke" she said pointing to Brooke but looking at Lucas. "Nice to meet you Brooke" Lucas said as he took a seat, Nathan did as his brother.

The whole lunch hour they talked, the girls explained to them why they decided to attend High School here. "I mean , you don't want to do High School with all girls. We felt like we needed to spice up our life, so one night talking we decided to attend a regular school." Haley told the boys, shifting her look from one to the other. Brooke kept looking at Lucas, as she notice that her sister would stare at Nathan every once in a while. Lucas then began to explain their life, when they heard the bell ring. "I guess I'll have to bore you with our story some other day." Lucas told Haley, and turn to look at Brooke with a smile "it was nice to meet you Brooke." "Well it looks like we have to go and finish this day." Haley said to everyone, then turn her head to look at Brooke, "I'll see you after school, we'll meet at the car." Brooke shook her head, and walked out of the cafeteria.

* * *

"Finally, I thought you couldn't find the car" Brooke said with a frustrated look, "What took you so long?" Haley walked to the car and unlocked the door, as she sat in the car and put her seat belt on looked at Brooke "I'm sorry, I was at the tutoring center. Did you know they had a tutoring center her? I was so surprised. Anyways I signed up for tutoring. I think …." Waving her hand in the air Brooke cut Haley of, "Haley, you don't need tutoring. You're like the smartest girl I know" Brooke told her with a confused look. "Brooke your so cute" Haley giggled, "I'm not going to get tutored. I am going to be a tutor." Brooke felt the light bulb light up on her head, and gave her sister a smile. "That's a great idea, now you can help me with my homework at school too."

On the car ride to their house Brooke kept talking about Lucas, how cute and sweet and likeable he was. Haley just listen to her sister, she was happy to know that she was back to her old self. At their hold school they could only talk about the guys on T.V, and sometimes they would end up fighting over the same one. As happy as she was for her sister, she had thoughts of her own. He was cute, and even if he didn't say much she felt like every time he looked at her she was a blushing which she probably was. How could a guy she just met make her feel so nervous, he's dreamy blue eyes made her melt every time he looked at her. "Haley, are you listening to me" Brooke told her frustrated, "are you thinking about his brother?" Haley gave Brooke a confused look' "I don't know what you're talking about, I was listening to you blab about Lucas." Brooke new her sister better than anyone, she could she there was something there, "Haley James, you so like him." Haley blushed at the thought of liking someone she just met. "Oh. My. God" Brooke said pronouncing every word separately, "I new it, I can't believe it. Us sister liking them 'brothers' " she said making air quotes.

Haley parked the car on the drive way, turn to Brooke with a smile "Ok" Brooke immediately smiled, letting her sister finish what she began to say. "I have to admit his cute, but there is no way there will ever be something there." "Haley" Brooke said brushing her sister's hair with her fingers, "you don't know that, I mean. I'm pretty sure there is not going to be anything between Lucas and me, but I still like him." Taking her seat belt of she looked at Haley before stepping out of the car, "Besides, I can tell he likes you. I may not have all the experience in the world on boys, but I know when a boy likes you." Brooke got out of the car, and started walking towards the front door. "Hey!" Haley yelled, running after her. "You can't just say something like that and walk away." "Honey, I just want you to know that I'm pretty sure he feels the same way about you."

Night time came and both girls were in their rooms, Haley was laying down on her bed, all she could think about was what Brooke told her in the car. When she heard her door opening, and someone come in. She sat up and saw Brooke walk over to her, "can I sleep with you tonight?" Brooke asked pouting her lip and giving Haley her puppy dog eyes. "Brooke?" she said as she adjusted to the darkness. "Haley, I really don't want to be alone tonight" Haley looked at her with a questioning look, "please Hales, please" Brooke begged. "Fine" Haley said pulling the covers back "get in here." Brooke jumped in the bed and pulled the covers over both girls "thanks, I love you." Haley turned to her side and whispered "Goodnight, I love you too."

**please review. Thanks**


	2. A Night to Remember

**Ok, so here is chapter two I hope you like it. : )**

**Chapter 2**

"Girls!" Their aunt yelled, standing at the bottom of the stairs, "He's almost here. Hurry up."

Brooke was getting ready with her sister in Haley's room, looking at her sister through the mirror's reflection she said "I can't believe his almost here."

Haley walked over to her sister, letting out a big sight "Brooke, I'm sure he hasn't change much." They now looking in the mirror looked at each other through their reflection.

"I really wish we could've come visit more often" Brooke told her sister with a worried look.

Haley turned to face her sister "honey, it's not our fault that the teachers and staff at St. Domenico's were so strict." Haley placed her hands on her sister's shoulders, "now... can we go? I can't wait to see him." Brooke gave Haley a smiled and they walked downstairs together.

The girls were halfway down the stairs when they saw they saw the door open, they looked at each other but quickly turned to look back at the door.

"I'm home!" the sandy blond hair boy yelled in a singing tone, as he walked in the house.

The girls couldn't help but to stare at him, "Jake!" they screamed at the same time. Running down the rest of the stairs, they jumped to him and gave him a big bear hug.

As both the girls took a step back, Jake looked at them up and down. "Wow, this was an awesome welcome home present," he said as he brought the girls to a tight squeeze. "It's so nice to see you again, it's been too long. You guys are so big" he said letting the girls go, as he picked up his bag , and started making his way to the kitchen he told the girls "well... let's go say hi to mom." "Madre? are you home?" Jake said as he walked in the kitchen.

"Oh my god, Jake" his mother ran to him and gave him a tight hug, "I'm so glad you're back, I missed you so much son." Jake took a look at his mother who now had tears in her eyes."I thought you were going to get here by 2:00?" She questioned him.

Jake smiled at her, and all the sudden it was extremely quite.

"Aunt Becky" Haley said trying to break the ice that was left after Jake and his mother had hugged, "I'm sure Jake is hungry. Why don't we go to the cafe downtown?"

When Jake heard cafe he nodded quickly, "that is a great idea, my beautiful cousin."

"Hey!" Brooke said glaring at him "what about me?"

A smiling Jake looked from Brooke to Haley and back, "you know you're my two favorite girls." He turned to his mom who gave him a glare, "of course, that is right after you mom."

"Ok, let's go" Becky told the teens, walking to the front door and grabbing her keys and purse on the way.

* * *

"God I missed this place" Jake told the girls, taking in the smell of the restaurant while he was holding the door to let them in.

Once they were all sitting in the booth, a short green eyed brunette came to take their order. "Hi, welcome to Karen's Cafe. I'm Karen, can I start you with something to drink?" the lady had a very sweet voice, to go along with the very sweet smile.

"Umm... I'll have an ice tea please" Haley told the lady.

Brooke looked up to the lady, and with a smile said "I'll have an ice tea as well."

"And what about you too?" She asked pointing at Becky and Jake with the back of her pen.

"Coke" Jake and his mother said at the same time. Jake looked at his mom as she giggled.

"How did I not guess that from you Jake?" Karen asked in a duh way, looking at Jake.

"What can I say Karen, coke in Spain is not the same."

Karen smiled at the table letting out a giggle "Ok, I'll bring you're drinks in a minute."

"Wow I can't believe you're back?" Brooke said looking at Jake with a huge smile, "It sure helps that you have a super smart cousin" she pointed to Haley, "because boy, you are a whole week behind." Jake looked to Brooke then to Haley.

"I am one lucky guy." The whole table was laughing at Jake's comment when they heard another laugh.

"Yes you are." the boy said still laughing.

Jake stood up to and reached over to shake the boy's hand, "Lucas man, it's so nice to see you. "Taking his seat again "What are you up to?"

Lucas was now placing the drinks on the table "nothing, you now same old same old." Now standing in front of the table "helping my mom, basketball, school" right when he was done with his sentence he glanced over to Brooke.

"Oh" Jake said in a high pitch, followed by a long pause. "This are my cousins, Brooke and Haley" he said pointing to the girls when he mentioned their names.

"How are you ladies today?" Lucas asked. Brooke's cheeks went red and Haley noticed, "great, how are you Lucas" Haley was trying to help her sister out, she knew how she felt about Lucas.

"Wait" Jake paused, "you know each other?" He was very confused right now.

"Yeah" Lucas said, "dude, you've missed a whole week. A lot of things happen in a week." He now pulled out his pad and a pen "So... are you guys ready to order, or do you need another minute?"

"We're ready" Haley said looking up at Lucas, "I'll have mac and cheese."

Brooke looked at her sister "how typical Haley." She was now looking at Lucas "I'll have a ceasar salad."

Lucas was taking notes of the orders, he then turned to Jake.

"Double cheese burger." Jake looked at his mom.

"I'll take a turkey sandwich." she picked up the menus and handed them to Lucas.

"Ok. So, I have one mac and cheese, one ceasar salad, a double cheese burger, and a turkey sandwich. Is that correct?" Lucas turned to look at the customers sitting across from him. He saw that they were all nodding. "Ok, I'll bring your food as soon as it's ready." He turned around and walked to the kitchen.

They talked all through their meal, Jake told them about all his adventures while backpacking through Spain. While the girls would listen, and ask questions every now and then.

* * *

Brooke was all ready when she walked over to her sister's room, "Are you ready?" She asked leaning on the door frame.

Haley looked at her sister who was wearing jeans with flip flops and a tee shirt, her hair was in a pony tail "Ummmmmm" she said trying to make Brooke nervous.

"Haley!"

"Ok. Ok, I'm just kidding lets go" Haley was wearing a knee length dress with very thin straps, a very light sweater, and high heal sandals.

When the girls walked down stairs they saw Jake standing at the end, "I don't know Haley" he said looking at her, her curls were loose down her back.

"What?" she asked with a panic voice.

"I have to say I'm a little disappointed, you're usually the first one out the door."

Relief came across Haley's face as she walked to Jake, and smacked his shoulder "you scared me, now let's go" she opened the door "you don't want to be late on your first day of school" she said emphasizing the 'first'.

* * *

"So.. Have you girls joined any clubs?" Jake asked the girls as they walked in the school

"No, well I joined the tutoring center. So there is that"

"What about you Brooke?"

"Nothing yet, I was thinking of trying out for cheer."

Jake walked in front of the sisters, and gave them a worried look."Ok, don't get mad but..." Jake was very careful with his next words, for he saw both of the girls eyes go wide open. "Ok, so I have a friend who's a cheerleader. Well the auditions for this year's team were at the end of last so that they could practice over the summer, but two girls got hurt over their summer practice. Well to make the story short, I showed her a tape of the dance you two did for the talent show two years ago and she loved it.'

"Jake! Why would you do that" Haley said with an angry face.

"I just wanted to help"

"So what happens next?" Brooke asked very exited, she had a good feeling about this.

"Well" he said looking at both girls. "Ok, so she showed the tape to the rest of the squad." He was now looking at Haley "They loved it, they said that they would love to meet you." He saw Haley shake her head "The meeting is today after school" he turned to Brooke with a smile "There is one more thing."

"What more can there be?" Haley asked with an annoyed face. She felt like Jake was trying to make them fit in into the world that they had never been part of.

"Hey Jake" a girl said to him touching his shoulder. Jake turned to hug the green eyed tall girl with curly blond hair.

"Peyton, How are you" the girls looked at the girl who was wearing a mini skirt with tee shirt and converse.

Peyton turned to look at the girls standing in front of her. "Oh my god, I am so exited to meet you two." the girl was extremely exited at the moment. "Jake has told me tons about you, and showed me the dance tape. I really hope you join, our squad sucks. It would be really good if one of you took over it.'

Brooke looked at the girl with a confused look "What do you mean 'take over'?"

"I haven't told them about the captain position yet."

"Oh my god!" Brooke turned to face her sister, then to the girl in front of her. "You want one of us to be captain?"

"You know what, I think it's better to explain it all at the cheer meeting after school" she looked at the girls, "I'll see you there, it's today after school in the gym."

Haley, Brooke and Jake walked to their classrooms to begin their school day.

* * *

After school Haley was at her locker waiting for Brooke, after all she promised her sister she would do the cheer thing for her. She was now putting her books away when she felt someone behind her.

"Hey." he said.

Haley turned around to the boy behind her "oh, Nathan hey" she closed her locker and stood there talking to him, "what's up?"

"You know, on my way to practice" he was staring into her eyes.

Haley could feel her cheeks turning red, "you play football?" She asked, trying to break her thoughts.

"No, basketball" he told her with a smirk, He could the confused look on her face."Not with the school team, I practice with Luke everyday at the river court." He noticed Haley's confusion washing off. "So I hear you're trying out for cheer."

Haley nodded, she could see that he was nervous now but didn't now why.

"So...do you have any plans for Friday?"

Haley stare at him with confusion once more, but quickly answered "not really, why?"

"Well... there is this new club that Luke's mom opened, and well I was wondering if you would like to go to the opening with me." He let the words just jump out of his mouth, without taking a breathing break. Nathan could see Haley's cheek blush, he had never seen a girl blush so beautifully.

"Oh, ummm." Just as she was about to answer she heard someone calling her.

"Haley, Haley" Haley turned around to see her sister running to her. "Oh my, we are going to be late, lets go" Brooke grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her. Haley turned to look at Nathan as she was being pulled.

"So?" Nathan yelled across the hall.

"OK" Haley said right before her sister pulled her to turn the hall.

* * *

"Ok girls, as you all know I'm Peyton last year's captain" every girls sitting on the bleachers nodded, except for Brooke and Haley. "Well that's going to change this year, as you all know by now their is a new club for under age people. I happen to manage that club. So, I will not be able to manage the squad this year." She took a step forward and continued her speech. "So, do you remember the tape I showed you?" once again every girl nodded. "Well, let me introduce you to Brooke and Haley" she said looking at the sisters. "Come on down girls so the squad can meet you"

Both girls walked down to Peyton and stood next to her. "Ok, so since we have the two open spots I gave it to them. Now there is only one problem" Peyton said looking at both girls. "As I told you all this summer, non of you are qualified to be captain. So I asked Brooke and Haley here" Peyton told the squad pointing to each girl as she mentioned their name. "And well, Haley has other things to do, so Brooke will be the new captain." She turned to face Brooke and then to the rest of the squad to finish. "Now everyone listen to her, she has great ideas and is a really good choreographer." Peyton grabbed Haley's hand and walked over to the bleachers, taking a seat with the rest of the squad.

"Ok girls" Brooke said nervously, "like you heard I'm Brooke, and to tell you something about my cheer experience I would have to lie." Brooke saw that the squad was laughing now. "At my old school their was no cheer squad, so my sister and I decided to start our own dance team. Now you all saw the tape, so I don't think their is much more to say. Oh yeah, our old school had an awesome dance teacher. So yeah" all the sudden she was nervous again. "Any questions?"

When Peyton notice that no hands went up she stood up, she walked over to Brooke and faced the squad "Ok, so practice will start next week. You must attend every football game and, after that basketball game. Practice will be every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after schools, and Saturday mornings at eight o'clock sharp." Peyton turned to face Brooke "do you have anything to add?" Brooke shook her head

"That is a great schedule" she told Peyton.

"Ok, then. You may all go, we will see you next Monday."

All the girls started walking out the gym.

* * *

On the car ride home Brooke could not stop talking about her new cheer captain position, it was all she had ever dreamed of. Sadly her old school did not have a cheer squad, if it did she would have sure been the captain. Haley was just happy that her sister got what she wanted, even if it did mean she would have to be one of them.

"Oh yeah... I forgot to ask you." Brooke told Haley in a suspicious tone.

"What?"

"What did Nathan want; I mean it must have been really important for you to yell back at him."

"Oh." Haley was now blushing and hoping that her sister wouldn't notice "well..."

"Haley, it's something big your blushing."

_damn it _Haley though to herself

"Oh my god, did he ask you out? Haley please tell me I need to know this."

"Ok, fine. He asked me if I wanted to go to that club opening with him."

"And you said OK." Brooke couldn't help her excitement "Haley it's your first official date, I'm so exited. We need to go shopping, and get our nails done. I love this kind of things it gives us a chance to have girls time."

"Brooke, slowdown" Haley told her sister "it's just a date, we don't need to go all out."

"Just a date, just a date? Haley, I see the way your face lights up every time you talk about him, or the way your cheeks blush when you see him, or how you can't seem to get your eyes of him every time he's around." Brooke could have kept going but was interrupted by her sister.

"Brooke," Haley took a second to think about her next move. "I don't think you're talking about me, I think you're talking about you and Lucas."

"I wish." She said folding her arms in front of her. "I haven't seen the boy today, and to be honest I would love for him to ask me to go to the opening with him." Brooke said with disappointment in her eyes.

Haley parked the car on the drive way took her seat belt off, before getting out of the car she saw Lucas standing on the door step. She turned to her sister who had sad eyes "Well, it looks like your day is about to get a whole lot better."

Brooke looked at the door and saw Lucas standing there, she felt her heart pumping faster.

As the girls walked to the door Lucas looked at Brooke. "Hey, do you mind if I still your sister for a minute?" he asked Haley.

"Nope, not at all. I actually have tons of homework so... I'm going to go." she looked at her sister, "I'll see you guys later" she then looked at Lucas and was walking up the steps.

"Haley."

Haley turned to the sound of her name. "So I heard about you and Nathan." he paused for a minute, "I think it's really cool, he really needed a girl like you to bring him down to earth." Haley nodded and walked in the house.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Brooke asked with hope in her face.

"Well." he hesitated "my mom is opening a new club, and well I kind of need a date."

"Lucas Scott." her eyes were wide open, "are you asking me to be your date?" she told him with a smirk.

"Well, I was actually hoping that you new someone I could take?" he looked at her, and saw her face drop "yes. Of course I am asking you, so what do you say captain?" he smiled at her.

"I don't know, let me check my schedule." Brooke opened her phone pretending to check her schedule. "What do you know, I am free Friday night" she looked at him with a serious face, which quickly turned to a smile "I would love to."

Lucas smiled and gave her a hug "so I'll see you Friday." He started to walk away, when he turned around and gave her a quick smile.

* * *

"Brooke. Haley, right here" Peyton said waving her hand so the girls would go to the lunch table were she was sitting, "you guys can sit with us" she said with smile.

"Wow, It's just like the movies" Haley told Peyton, then turning to look at her sister who was smiling back at her.

"I know" Brooke smiled to the rest of the girls on the table, "now let's eat" she looked at her sister, then sat on an empty chair. Tapping the chair next to her she looked up at Haley "come on sis, you need to eat." Haley sat next to her sister and opened her water bottle.

Peyton turned to face her " so, where did you two move here from?"

Brooke looked at Haley trying to give her the sign that she should tell the story, when Haley caught her sisters glance she began to speak. "Well we moved her from California when I was ten, and Brooke was nine." Haley could see the girls looking at her with a confused look. "I mean we had to move here" she could still see the confusion. "To make the story short, we attended an all girls boarding school for the past seven year. At the end of last years school year we decided we wanted to attend a regular high school, I mean really seven years of living with all girls makes you go a little crazy." She gave Brooke a quick look and turned back to the rest of the girls "so we moved back to Tree Hill, and as you can see, now we are going to a regular school." Haley could see that they were still confused, yet they understood the story.

"So what do your parents do for living?" one of the girls asked.

After hearing the questions Haley gave her sister a look, she new what the subject of their parents did to her. All Haley wanted to do was protect her sister, in a way she was older even if it was only a year. Just as Haley was going to answer the question the bell rang, she could not feel more relieved.

Brooke grabbed her books, and looked at her sister. "Can we now" she told Haley with a sad look in her eyes, "please Haley?"

Haley could see the plead in her sister's eyes, so she grabbed her books as well. She turned to face Brooke, grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the cafeteria. "I think we should get you home?" she was now walking towards the car, with her arm over her sister's shoulder.

Both girls got in the car and drove home, Haley new that Brooke was still not over the question. She usually spoke all the way home, not letting her get even one word in. Fortunately Haley knew exactly how to get cheer her sister up, so on her way home she stopped by the local grocery store.

* * *

"Haley, you don't have to do this"

Haley looked at her sister who was now sitting on the kitchen stool, "honey, your my sister and I love you. Besides if I don't do this for you who will?" she gave Brooke a quick smile as she handed her the cookie dough scream, "now here take this, I know how much you love it. We can talk about it later."

It was now dark and they had talked all day, as Haley went to the bathroom to brush her teeth Brooke was laying on her sister's bed. "Brooke, are you exited about tomorrow?" she asked trying to change the mood a little, but she got no response. "Brooke?" She walked into her room and saw her sister asleep on her bed. "Oh, honey lets get you under the covers" Haley whispered as she pulled the covers over her sister. She then walked around the bed, and laid her self next to her sister. She hated when people asked about their parents, but one way or another the subject would always come up. Haley knew she could handle it, but it was what it did to her sister what she hated.

* * *

Haley was walking to her room from the bathroom after her shower with nothing but a towel, as she opened the door she saw Brooke there. "Hello you" she told her sister as she walked to her closet to get an outfit for the night.

"What do you think you're doing?" Brooke asked when she saw her sister walk into the closet.

"Umm. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Well it looks like you're looking for an outfit for tonight. But we both know you don't get to make that decision right?"

Haley looked at her sister. She always let Brooke pick her outfits when she went out. She new how much that cheered her up, and if playing dress up with her would keep her from seen her sister get hurt, than so be it. "Ok, so what do you have for me?" she asked walking out back to her room.

Brooke gave her sister a huge smile "so what do you think?" she was pointing to the outfit she had laid out on Haley's bed. As she turned to see her sister's face, she could tell that Haley couldn't say no to her. "Come on Haley, the boys will be here soon" she gave her a quick smile, "plus I know Nathan is going to love it."

"Ok, Fine" she grabbed the outfit from the bed and walked to the closet to change, "so. umm. What are you wearing?" Haley was sliding on a dress.

"I can't tell you, it's a surprise."

"Oh. I see. You can pick my outfits, but you can't tell me about yours?" Haley was now walking out of the closet.

Brooke looked at her with total excitement. "Haley, you look hot" she grabbed her sister's hand and sat her on a stool in front of the mirror. "Now let's do your hair, and while you do your make up I can do my hair."

* * *

"Hey Brooke, Haley" Jake yelled up the stairs, "the boys are here."

"Are you ready Jake?" Lucas asked walking in the house.

Nathan followed him and closed the door behind him, "So ready to party?"

"Yeah, we just need the girls to come down now." Jake told the brothers looking up the stairs when he saw his cousins at the top. As the girls walked down he gave the guys a '_don't even think about it'_ look.

Lucas looked right at Brooke as she made her way down the stairs, She was wearing a red strapless dress that ended at her thigh, black high heal sandals and a black mini purse. Her hair was down and straight, Lucas kept staring at her. He always new she was pretty, but tonight she looked beautiful.

When the girls made it to the bottom Nathan looked at them both, then placed his eyes on Haley. "You look... Wow" there were no words to explain how he saw her, the blue dress she wore was the same length as Brooke's but was a one shoulder dress. She was wearing gold sandals that strapped around her ankles, and her hair was down and curly.

Haley blushed at Nathan's words and looked at her sister, and noticed that Brooke was looking at Lucas. She then turned to look at Nathan "Thanks" she told him shyly, "Umm. We should get going, Peyton is going to be waiting for Jake there" she gave Jake a quick glance.

"Yeah, I told her we would meet there" Jake was telling the boys, "she's managing the club, so she had to be there early."

Lucas looked around the room and said "Well then, lets get going" he pointed to the door then looked at Brooke putting his hand out for her to hold.

* * *

"Come on Peyton said she had a table reserved for us" Jake told them as they made their way through the crowd.

When they made it to the table in the corner of the club, the girls sat followed by the boys. on one side was Brooke, Lucas, and Jake, while on the other side was Nathan and Haley. The other seat was empty for when Peyton would make her presence, her seat was right across from Jake's. She was very busy with it being opening night.

"Hey guys!" Peyton was screaming so that they could hear her over the music, "do you guys want something to drink?"

"I'll take a martini" Brooke said smiling at her new friend.

Peyton gave them a frown "sorry kids no alcohol, you're still under age" she could see the disappointment on the boys' faces. "I'll send over some waters, ok?" She looked at the table to see the responses, and saw them all nodding. She then turned around and walked over to the bar.

After dancing for a while and talking some more they walked over to the table to take a drink. Haley looked over at Brooke trying to tell her something with a facial expression, but Brooke was so into her conversation with Lucas that she didn't even realize her sister was looking at her.

Nathan saw that Haley was trying to get her sister's attention, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the floor. As they made their way through the crowd and out the door he looked at her in the eyes, "are you ok?" He asked trying to read her face.

"Yeah, I'm great" she was now looking into his eyes, she gave him a sympathetic look, she didn't want the next words to come out of her mouth to hurt him. "Look Nate" she said, now placing her hand on his chest "I've had a really good time, but... I am really tired" she looked at his eyes "do you mind if I go."

Nathan looked at her "no that's cool, just wait here" he told her, and started running in the club. When he got to the table he explained to Brooke, Jake, and Lucas that he was going to take Haley home, Brooke nodded in approvement and told him to tell her to wait for her before going to bed.

Nathan walked out and saw Haley waiting for him, "Ok, let's go" he said grabbing her hand.

"Wait" Haley told him pulling him back, "what do you mean let's go?"

Nathan turned to look at her, he felt her let go of his hand. He was now looking at her "it means I'm going to take you home, come on you didn't think I was going to let you walk home all by yourself?"

"Ok then, let's go" she told him.

Nathan grabbed her hand one more time and starting walking towards her house.

"I'm going to see what Peyton's doing" Jake told them walking towards the bar.

Lucas turned to look at Brooke "You look beautiful tonight." He saw Brooke blush, he had never seen her blushed before. He couldn't help but to smile at how adorable she looked, "what are you thinking?"

Brooke gave him a smile and turned to face him, looking into his eyes. "How adorable you are" she smiled at him, just then she saw him smile back. As she lean towards him she could feel his breath near her mouth, she couldn't stop looking at him. She was never the type of girl to take the first step, but if the guy took it she wasn't going to stop him after all it was only a kiss. With Lucas it was different, she really liked him. She felt like she couldn't breathe being so close to him, as she leaned a little closer she could feel his lips. This was it the moment that would change her life, the moment she was waiting for, the moment she didn't want to ruin. Yet this would be the first actual kiss, with a boy she actually liked.

**Please review. **

**Thanks! :D**


	3. Where are we running?

**On this chapter; Brooke wants to know where she stands with Lucas, Haley and Nathan spend a nice morning together.**

Chapter 3

She had called him six times now, as she was pacing back and forth on the hall she dialed again. "Hey, it's me. This is like the forth voicemail I've left, please call me back we really need to talk about Friday night" when she pressed the end button she walked straight to her room and laid on her bad.

* * *

Just like every other Sunday morning, Haley would take her morning run a little later than the other days.

She was running with no destination around the river, just passed a few trees she saw a basketball court and two boys shooting around. Haley kept running getting closer to the court, she was so focused on the scenery that she didn't even notice that the boys were Lucas and Nathan. Just as she was running passed it she saw the ball fly right in front of her, she stopped and grabbed the ball that landed a few feet next to her. Walking back to the court she now knew exactly who the boys were, she took her headphones of walking towards the boys.

"Is this yours?" she asked trying to catch her breath, she threw the ball at Lucas.

Lucas caught the ball, and placed it on his side "yes."

Haley looked at Nathan "so you practice on weekends too?"

"Yeah, what can I say. we love this game" he answered her giving Luke a glance. "So... You run?" he asked her. It was kind of obvious since she was wearing a running outfit, and he had just seen her.

"Yeah" she answered him and gave him a smile. She then turned to Luke and back to Nathan, "Well. I better get going, I don't want to warm up again." She started to put her headphones back on "I'll see you guys around" she turned around and began running again.

Nathan was just staring at her as she ran off, when he felt a ball hit his head. He turned to face Lucas who was making a funny face, trying to make fun of Nathan's face as he watched her run off. Nathan then started dribbling the ball, and made a shot with the ball going straight in "nothing but net."

* * *

"Haley is that you?" Brooke yelled as she walked out of her room and into her sisters. "Where have you been?" she asked her with a panic tone.

Haley was standing in front of her side table taking off her headphones, she turned around and saw Brooke standing by the door. "Hey" she said giving her sister a smile, "what are you doing here? I thought you were going to go shopping?" Haley was now taking her shoes of.

"I know, but... but." She couldn't finish her sentence and the tears came down.

"Oh honey, what's going on?"

Brooke walked over to her sister and sat on the bed, "I don't know, I mean he won't answer my calls."

"Well do you know why?" Haley asked her sister now sitting next to her.

"I think it's because of what happened on Friday" Brooke couldn't hold her tears.

"What happened? I mean when I left you guys were so happy, and into the conversation. I really looked like you were enjoying yourself." Haley was rubbing her sister's back "besides, didn't he bring you home?"

"Yeah, he did. That is exactly why I don't understand him, I really don't get why he won't talk to me. I mean after Nathan came to tell us that he was taking you home Jake left to talk to Peyton, so it was just me and him. We kept talking when the next thing I know, I was kissing him."

Haley turned to face her sister.

"I know I always say that the girl should not make the first move, I swear I didn't even notice. But right after I pulled away and ask him to bring me home, he didn't say a word on the ride home. I think I hurt him."

"Well I saw him today, he was perfectly normal" Haley told her sister giving her a smile, she hated seen her sister sad.

"When? Where? How? Why?" Brooke just shot the words out as fast as she could, she couldn't believe her sister didn't tell her she had seen him.

"Well, at that basketball court next to the river. I was running through there and I saw him with Nate, and I mean if he was mad at you he would have probably have been uncomfortable around me. Right?"

"Yeah, you're probably right. I guess I'll call him back later."

Haley gave her sister a hug "everything is going to be fine." When she let go of Brooke she made her was to the pillow and laid her head on it "wow, that was a good run."

Brooke was now laying next to her sister, they were both just looking at the ceiling. "So, you didn't tell me how your date ended' Brooke pointed out.

Haley was hoping to get away with it, but who was she kidding it was Brooke she always found a way to know exactly what happened. Haley was staring at the ceiling remember that night as if had just happened. "Well... Ok, right after he walked in the club to tell you that I was going home he grabbed my hand so that he could walk me home."

_flashback_

_Walking through the darkness Nathan held Haley close to him in a side hug. Haley could feel her cheeks burning, she didn't want him to see her blush so she walked looking at the floor._

_"Are you ok?" he asked her, Nathan had noticed that she had been looking down for a while now._

_"Yeah, I'm great" she looked at him, "hey, thanks for walking me home."_

_"No problem, I wasn't going to let the new girl walk all by her self. Especially since you know?" he bent down to whisper in her ear "you're my date."_

_Haley blushed at his words, but couldn't look away._

_"You know, you're really something Haley James" he told her as they crossed the street to get to her house._

_They were now outside her house, and Haley stood right in front of him "and why is that?" she asked him with smirk. She felt so dumb, she was not the flirting type._

_"Well for starters, you didn't mind walking home which most girls would" he saw her smile. "And. well you're different."_

_Haley looked at him in confusion "different good?... Different bad?"_

_"Good" he answered quickly, "definitely good."_

_"Ok, then... I should go" she told him pointing towards the door._

_"Yeah, umm... I'll see you on Monday" he started to walk away. Nathan then turned around and saw her trying to open the door. "Haley?" he saw her turn around with a hint of hope in her eyes, he walked over to her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek "goodnight". After whispering the word to her he turned around and ran home._

_flashback finished._

Brooke sat up quickly "Haley, that is so sweet."

"I know" she told her sister while she was sitting up, "but you know the kind of guy he is. I really don't want anything to do with that."

"Haley you need to live a little" Brooke saw Haley giving her a smile, "and don't give me your stupid smiles." Haley was laughing at her sister now. "Haley stop, you know that playing dumb with me doesn't get you anywhere. Now get up!" she said in a demanding tone.

"What?"

"Get up, as you know I am the new cheer captain and tomorrow is the first practice. So I came up with a routine, but it requires two people."

Haley looked at her sister confused "you do know that a cheer squad has more than two people, right."

"Yes, I know tutor-sister. But this routine is done by twos, so move your ass and let's get outside."

"Brooke, I just came back from my run."

"No" Brooke pointed out, "you came back from your run about and hour ago. So get your ass moving, I'll meet you in the back yard with water bottles."

* * *

Brooke was standing by her locker getting her books before class, once she shut the locker door she started to walk to class. She still couldn't believe that Lucas had not called her all weekend; the least she expected was for him to call her. All she could think of was that night, the way she just pulled away from him.

_Why did you do it Brooke? All you wanted was to kiss him, you know that you like him. Ahh why?_ Brooke argued with herself on her way to class.

* * *

"Hey, are you ready?" Brooke asked her sister.

Haley turned to see Brooke standing behind her, she closed her locker and turned back to her sister. "I am now" she told Brooke with a smile.

Making their way through the halls, the girls talked about the routine Brooke came up with during the weekend. Well Brooke pretty much Brooke talked about the routine.

Haley just listened to her sister who seemed very exited, when she felt an arm around her neck she turned to see who it was.

"Hey pretty girls" Jake said putting one arm around each girl's neck, he took his arms back before continuing "so what are you girls up to?"

"Just talking about the new routine for cheer." Before Haley could even open her mouth Brooke had already answer the question.

Jake looked a his cousins "oh really?"

As the cousins sat down to eat their lunch, they kept talking about Brooke's routine. Brooke was so exited that she wouldn't let anyone get a word in, not that it mattered. Both Haley and Jake knew how she was when she loved something.

Just as Brooke to a break to have a bite of her pizza, she saw him. He was walking towards their table, she was so nervous now. The only thing she could think of was Friday night.

"Hey guys" Lucas said putting his tray down.

Nathan followed his brother and sat right next to him, "so what are you guys up to?" he asked looking around the table.

"Nothing man, Brooke here was just telling me about her new routine." Jake said looking at Brooke.

"That's cool" Nathan said opening his soda, "if you guys ever need to practice, you should come cheer for us at the river court."

It was quiet for a minute, it was as if Nathan's comment made the wrong impact. Haley couldn't take the quiet anymore, "umm Brooke" she turned to face her sister "we have to go pick up the uniforms."

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot" she stood up, "sorry boys, but we have to get going" she looked at Haley who was now standing next to her and gave her a nod.

* * *

"Oh god, I can't believe how tired I am" Haley told Brooke laying on her bed.

Brooke walked over to her and laid next to her, "I know, I think I might have pushed the girls a little too far"

"yeah, so what's going on with Lucas. I mean you didn't even talk to him today"

Both girls were now looking at the ceiling, it was kind of an everyday thing. Every night before going to bed they would talk, they laid on Haley's bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Yeah... well he didn't call me back, I mean he didn't even text. I'm guessing he doesn't want to talk, so I'm just going to make it easier on him."

"Brooke you know that's not true, you like him. Why can't you just take a risk?"

"Excuse me" she paused, "I can't take a risk? Haley you know you like Nathan, actually I think we all know. I mean for starters he is so into you, I mean the boy drools every time he sees you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, act like you don't know. I think you just don't want to get hurt. You know his past now, and you don't want to be another one on his list."

"Brooke I really don't know what you're talking about" Haley walked into her closet and changed to her pajamas. "But I will tell you that I am beat, so I'm going to bed" she then jump in her bed.

"Haley don't play dumb" Brooke told her getting up, "I get that you don't want to talk about it yet, so I'll remind you to talk about it in the morning" she said walking out of her sister's room.

* * *

Haley got up at 5:00 A.M to go running, after all she would have cheer practice in an hour. She had already changed to her sweats, and was now walking toward her side table to grab her iPod when she felt her phone vibrate. She flipped it open to check it, the number was unfamiliar to her.

**'Hey, I hope you don't mind Jake gave me your number'**

She clicked reply and started texting back, **'I'm sorry, I don't know who you are.'** She put her phone in her pocket, put her headphones on and walked out of her room. On her way down the stairs she felt her phone again.

**'Sorry, It's Nathan, so Jake said that you would be up early, I hope I didn't wake you."**

_Wake me, honey I'm more then awake at the moment _Haley thought to herself, and began to text him back **'no it's cool, I was actually on my way out for a run :) wanna come?' **she didn't even think of what she was texting, by the time she realized what she wrote it was to late to take it back. Haley felt really dumb for asking him that, she new he would say no. _God Haley what did you do, he's obviously going to say no. How can you be so stupid._ Haley kept asking her self why, as she sat on the stairs waiting for his 'no'.

When she felt her phone she flipped it open before it could finish ringing. **Yeah :) do you wanna wait for me, i'll pick you up. b there in 5. **She couldn't believe what she was reading he said yes, he said yes. She sat on the stairs with the biggest smile, how could a guys she had just met make her feel so happy. She walked out the front door to wait for him.

Haley was waiting outside on the door steps, listening to music she was laying on the floor.

Nathan arrived at her house and saw her laying there, he couldn't help but to laugh. It was actually kind of cute, how she just laid there listening to music and singing out loud. He walked up to her and looked down at her.

"Hey" Haley said taking her headphones off.

"So I see you're ready" he said looking at her up and down.

Haley smiled at him as she stood up.

"So, do you want to lead, or should I?"

"I think you should" she said shyly, "I mean after all, you know this town way better than me."

With that said they made their way to the sidewalk.

* * *

"So, I see that you always wear that bracelet" Nathan said trying to start some sort of conversation, They were at the beach just sitting enjoying the sunrise.

Haley looked at him playing with the bracelet on her left wrist, "my mom gave it to me" she took a deep breath to continue. "On the last Christmas we all spent together she gave both Brooke and I a charm bracelet, she said that as long as we had this bracelet she would be with us. That's why it has a star, she said the star was to guide us to her" tears were starting to come out of her eyes.

When Nathan saw that she was crying he felt so dumb for asking that question, he didn't think, that was it he didn't think about the question before asking it. He looked at her and wiped a tear from her cheek, he felt so bad for asking her "hey, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Haley shook her head "no, I want to" she took another big breath, "see this charm" she said pointing at the key, "well my dad gave it to me on new years. It was his way of telling us that he will always be there, but he told us that it was for us to keep our hearts locked until the one special person came" she gave him a smile ."Then he took us shopping and made each one of us pick one" she now pointed to the B on her bracelet, "and made us give it to each other.'

"So you have a B for Brooke" he told her feeling smart.

"Yeah, and it was like we thought alike."

Nathan had a confused look.

Haley smiled at him "I gave her an H."

They sat and enjoying the rest of the sunrise, it was so beautiful. Nathan had experienced it before, but never with someone else.

When the sun was all set he stood up, and stretched his hand to her to help her up. Haley took his hand, and they started walking home. None of them had noticed that they were still holding hands.

They were now outside Haley's house, they didn't even realize they were there. Nathan turned to face Haley, "I had a really nice time, thanks" Haley said.

"Yeah, me too" he smiled at her, he looked around "so where is you're car?" he asked still looking around.

Haley started looking around and didn't see her car, she took her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. "Oh my god, Brooke!"

"What's wrong?" he asked with a panic tone.

"I am so sorry, I have to go" she started to walk to the street again.

"Where are you going?" Nathan asked catching up to her.

"Cheer practice" she was now shaking her head," I can't believe I forgot, Brooke is going to kill me."

Nathan stopped her and put both his hands on her shoulders "Haley it's ok" he saw her brown eyes focus on him, "I'll give you a ride, my car is right outside your house." Nathan grabbed her hand and took her to the car.

"Thanks, and sorry about my freak out back there. It's just that Brooke is really going to kill me, what am I going to tell her" she was looking at Nathan, who was really focused on the road. "Hey I'm sorry I'm late, I lost track of time when I was looking at the sunrise" she told him in a sarcastic tone.

"Haley, she's not going to say anything. I'm sure you're not late yet, at what time do you have to be there?"

"Seven."

Nathan looked at the clock on the radio, the time was 7:15. "Oh... You are late" he was now parked in front of the school. "Ok this was my fault, let me help you out. Give me your leg"

"What?" she shot up.

"I'm not going to do anything inappropriate" he smirked, "now give it to me"

Haley put her leg on his lap, she was really nervous she didn't know what he was going to do. All the sudden she felt his hand on her pants, the next thing she saw was him ripping then on the knee."What are you doing?" she shouted as she pulled her leg away from him.

"Relax" he said laughing, "you see that hole?" Haley nodded. "Well Miss James, that is your excuse" he told her pointing to the hole on her knee.

Haley was still confused "exactly how is this my excuse?" she asked him with a smart ass attitude.

"Well, you can tell Brooke you went for a run. Which is not a lie by the way" he told her , "and you can tell her that you fell, and that my dear friend is how you got a hole."

"Yeah, but my knee is not scraped.'

"Damn" he said defeated look.

"It's ok" Haley laughed, "Brooke is not very bright, I'm sure I can dodge the subject" she placed her hand on his shoulder "thank you." With that said she stepped out of the car, she closed the door and ran into the school.

* * *

Brooke was laying in bed, she still hadn't talked to Lucas. How could it be, it had been a whole week since the kiss incident. They hadn't seen each other either, she couldn't stop thinking that maybe he just didn't want to see her. Maybe he was more hurt then she thought, maybe he really did like her and she wasn't just a 'pass the time' girl. She was distracted from her thoughts when there was a knock on her door, "come in" she said to whom ever was on the other side of the door.

"Brooke honey, there is a boy at the door" Becky said in a very soft tone.

"Thanks aunt Becky, I'll be right down." She jumped of the bed and put her hair to a messy bun.

She was walking down the stairs when she heard Jake laughing, she couldn't distinguish the other voice. Just as she took the last step she heard him, it was Lucas and he was making a comment on a basketball move. "I tell you man, the fade away can save your ass." To that comment Nathan answered "dude the fade away is weak."

"Hey boys" Brooke said stepping into the living room. She felt all six eyes on her, but there was two in particular that made her nervous.

Jake stood up and looked at Nathan "hey I forgot to give you the history notes."

"oh, yeah" Nathan told Jake as he followed him upstairs.

Brooke knew that Jake was just trying to get Nathan out of the room so that she can talk to Lucas.

"Hey" Lucas said standing up, "umm. Do you want to go outside and talk?"

_Oh great he wants to talk that's perfect, why is he trying to be so smooth about this. We both know exactly what this is about, _"no I don't mind, lets go" she told him walking towards the door.

* * *

Upstairs Nathan was walking behind Jake to his room, but he hear a girl singing. He stopped right in front of her door, and push the door a little so that he would open a little wider. He had never heard anyone sing so beautifully, sure he listened to music but it's not the same. He was lost in her voice, just staring at her as she moved around her room singing.

"Hey you coming?" Jake asked Nathan who was totally out of it.

He might have asked a little too loud, because Haley turned to the door. The first thing she saw was Nathan standing there staring, he was like a deer on headlights.

Haley walked over to the door , and saw Nathan take a few steps back "spying on me?" she asked him.

"you… you... you have a beautiful voice" Nathan told her stuttering.

"Thank you" she said as she walked out of the room and into the hall, "you enjoy the show too?" she asked looking at Jake who was staring at them.

"You know it"

"It was nice to see you again Nathan" she told him and touch his shoulder, she turned around and started to walk toward the stairs.

* * *

Lucas and Brooke were sitting on a swing set in the back yard, the weather was perfect not too hot but cold enough to just wear a sweater.

Lucas stared at her " I wanted to talk about Friday."

"I…" She began to say but was cut of by Lucas.

"Look I understand, I mean I really did want to kiss you" he put his hand on her knee. "But I understand if I was moving too fast, Brooke I really want to make you feel comfortable. And if that means I have to wait, then I'll wait."

Brooke looked at him with tears in her eyes, she didn't want to cry. She was doing her best to keep the tears from falling "I know, and thank you." That was all that she managed to say.

"Ok then, I think we should go back in. it's getting windy" he stood up and grabbed her hand, they walked together to her house.

"Do you want to stay for breakfast" Brooked as him as they reached the door, "I mean Jake's mom is gone so I'm sure Haley's cooking some killer breakfast."

"yeah, that sounds great."

* * *

**Sorry about this chapter, I know it's kind of boring. I promise the next one will be better.**

**I also apologize to Brucas fans, the story kind of took a turn towards the naley story, but I promise they will be back.**

**Please review. :D**


	4. Show me what I

**I hope you guys like this chapter, please review they are appreciated. And if there is any character that you want to see be part of the story just tell me, and I will try to add them. I am planning on mentioning Keith, Karen, Dan, Deb. Later on we will also have Chris Keller and Rachel.**

chapter 4

Haley was getting ready to go to school, she needed to arrive early to tutor a student. All she knew about the student was that it was a boy, and he needed help with Math, English, and History.

_god, where is my shoe? _she thought to herself looking for her other shoe. She was wearing jeans with a pink t-shirt, "Finally" she said when she found her other pink flip flop. Her hair was on a pony tail that ended with a twist, and her make-up was very light.

Once Haley was ready, she grabbed her book bag and walked out of her room. Making her way to her sister's room, she opened the door quietly and stepped in. "Brooke" she whispered as she shook her sister, "Brooke, wake up. I'm leaving."

When Brooke slowly opened her eyes, and saw her sister standing next to her bed.

"Hey, I'm leaving." She smiled at Brooke "you better get up, and get ready. I'll be back at seven thirty, ok." Haley saw her sister nod, and turned around to leave.

* * *

"Hey, are you Haley?" a boy asked walking into the tutoring center.

"Yes"

He took a seat next to her "good" he told her with a relief.

Haley looked at the boy, and gave him a smile "and your name is....?"

The boy turned to look at her "Oh, sorry I'm Tim."

"Ok Tim" she put her math book on the table, "we will start with math, just so we are on the same page. What math class are you in?"

"Algebra"

"Ok, so today we will just go over your grade and check what assignments you're missing. Then we will move forward, I just want to make sure you're caught up with your assignments" she put both her hands in front of her holding them together. "Do you understand?"

Tim looked a little confused, but still managed to answer. "Yeah"

For the next hour Haley and Tim looked over his math grades, she wrote down all the assignments he would need to make up. She also told him the rules she had, "lessons will start at six sharp every morning. I will wait for you till six fifteen; if you are not here by that time then I won't be here. You need to pay attention, and completely apply yourself into the lesson. Is that clear?"

"Yeah" Tim was shocked; this girl new exactly was she was doing and the way to do it.

"Ok then, I have to go now. But I'll see you tomorrow" she stood up and grabbed her stuff. When she reached the door she turned to look at him "six sharp" she pointed out, and walked out.

* * *

After picking her sister up, they drove to school. As usual Brooke talked the whole way there, today her topic was the past weekend's breakfast.

* * *

Making their way into the school Brooke saw Lucas, he was actually waiting for her at her locker. "aww, Lucas. Where you waiting for me?" she said opening her locker and grabbing the book she needed.

"Aww, he is so sweet" Haley said in a sarcastic tone. She put her hand on her sister's shoulder "well I guess I better go, I'll see you after school." She then turned to him "Lucas" she said giving him a nod.

Lucas turned back to Brooke "so, can I walk you to class?"

"Yes, you can" she said giving him a smile.

* * *

The bell rang and Haley grabbed her book back, and started making her way out the classroom to go to lunch. Right when she stepped out the door she felt someone walking behind her, she didn't want to turn around and check but did anyways.

"Hey" she said with a jump.

"Hey, did I scare you?"

They were now walking side by side "well Nathan, let me tell you that it was kind of weird to feel someone walking behind me."

He looked at her and gave her an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, I didn't want to freak you out." He then saw her give him a smile, "I wanted to give you something."

They were now standing by her locker, as Haley put her books away to go to lunch. "Nathan, you don't have to get me anything" she closed her locker and turned back to him.

"I know. But when I saw this I thought of you." He gave her a little brown box with a blue ribbon tied around it.

Haley grabbed the box and pulled the ribbon, once the ribbon was off she opened the box. When she looked inside her eyes lit up, and she looked back at Nathan. "Oh my god, Nathan this is beautiful" she put it on her palm, and looked back at him.

"You like it?"

"I love it" she said examining the little star on her palm.

Nathan could see her eyes were watering, "here let me help you" he grabbed the charmed and put it on her bracelet. Once the charm was on the bracelet he grabbed her wrist "never say I never gave you anything."

Haley smiled at him, she took her wrist back and grabbed it with her other hand "thank you" she mouthed.

"Ok, let's go. I'm starving" he grabbed her hand and made their way to the lunch room.

* * *

"What took you so long? I waited by your locker but you never showed" Brooke told her sister with disappointment, "now open the car, I'm cooking out here."

Haley laughed at her sister, then unlocked the car. Once sat in the car Haley turned the car on, the first thing she saw was Brooke pressing the button to let the top off. The only thing she did was look at her and chuckle.

"What? I know I said I was cooking, but once the car starts moving the wind will feel good"

"I know" Haley told her sister putting the gear on reverse, she started to pull back. Right when she hit the break to put her car on drive she saw Nathan, he walked next to the girls on Brooke's side of the car.

"Are you trying to kill me?"

"Oh my god, I am so sorry. I really didn't meant to, I really I am sorry. Oh god how can I be so dumb, I....." she rumbled.

Nathan cut her off before she could keep rumbling "I was kidding, but I'll see you around."

"Yeah, see ya" she told him with embarrassment.

"Bye Brooke, be good to my brother." he then turned around and walked to his car.

Brooke turned to her sister, who was now driving out of the parking lot. "I really think he likes you."

"Brooke don't start" Haley told her reaching out to change the song on the radio. She kept scanning but nothing good would come up

"Oh that one" Brooke said slapping Haley's hand so she wouldn't change it. She then realized that her sister had a new charm on her bracelet "when did you get that?"

"What?" Haley asked, but never took her eyes of the road.

"That charm, I mean I didn't give it to you."

"Well..." before she could finish Brooke cut her off.

Brooke turned to face her sister, who was way too occupied with driving. "You said that we could only hook on charms that were given to us, and that actually had a meaning. If I had known that we could buy our own, I..I..Well I would have done it before."

Haley knew her sister all too well, so she let her finished before she could tell her were it came from. "Are you finished" she asked her with a very serious face.

"Yes" Brooke answered her in a mad tone.

They were now at a stop light, and Haley turned to look at Brooke who was extremely mad and looking out the window. "Well, this charm was given to me, I would never buy one for myself. Brooke I know what I said about the charms on our bracelets having a meaning, but I would never brake one of our rules. You know that right?"

Brooke turned to look at her sister, "yeah, I'm sorry."

The light had turned green so Haley had her eyes on the road now.

"So where did you get it?" Brooke asked with curiosity.

"Nathan."

Just as she told Brooke that it was from Nathan she had pulled into the drive way, and turned the car off.

"Let's go" Haley said.

Brooke knew that her sister was trying to dodge the question, but in the end she would tell her all about it. Brooke was just waiting for tonight, to ask all the questions she had about the bracelet.

Both girls walked in the house, and walked to the kitchen where their aunt Becky had snacks.

* * *

Brooke walked over to her sister's room, to see that Haley was sitting on her desk facing the window. She new that Haley was trying to do homework, but was lost in her thoughts. She new her sister too well not to know this about her, but what was it that kept her so thoughtful.

"Hey" Brooke said walking towards her sister.

Haley jumped, and turned around to see Brooke making her way towards her. She gave her a smile.

"Aunt Becky said to come get you, dinner's ready" she said pointing with her thumb over her shoulder to the door.

"Oh yeah" Haley said closing her books, "I totally lost track of time" she turned back to her sister so that they can make their way out the room.

Before Haley could step out the door Brooke grabbed her wrist, "Haley, are you ok?"

"Yeah" she said taking her arm back, "why would you ask that?"

"Well you were really lost in your thoughts, and that usually means that there is something that you want to tell me. But you know I might not like it."

Haley smiled at her sister, put both hands on Brooke's shoulders "I'm fine" she said shaking her. "Now let's go before Jake comes and yells at us."

* * *

"Wow dinner was great aunt Becky" Brooke told her aunt while picking up the dishes.

"Thank you, Brooke"

Brooke walked over to the sink where her aunt was washing the dishes, she put some dishes next to her "would you like some help?"

Becky looked at Brooke "I would love that" she pointed to a drawer, "there are some towels there, you can dry the dishes."

"Perfect" she said walking over to where Becky had pointed.

* * *

Haley and Jake were at the dinning room, they were putting the decorations back on the table. Also making sure that everything was where it was suppose to be.

Once they were done Jake looked at his cousin "so you like Nathan?" He told her in a joking tone.

Haley's face turned red, it was a good thing that she hardly ever saw Jake. Because if he knew her as good as Brooke he would be able to tell that she did, with that little sign of blush.

She turned to him and smiled "what makes you think that?"

They were making their way to the living room, Jake turned to face her "just asking."

Haley may not know Jake all that well, but she new that he was asking for a reason. So she sat next to him on the couch, looking at him. "I don't buy it" she told him, now pointing to him "you know something, tell me Jake."

"Ok" he new she was going to get information out of him one way or another, if it wasn't her it would be Brooke. He looked at her "you know I love you, right?" He saw her nod, "and that I only want the best for you, and Brooke. I mean you're my cousins, and I know better than anyone all that you two have been through." He saw her nod again, but this time she had a sad expression. "What I'm trying to say, is that I know that you're strong. But I don't want to see you get hurt."

Haley looked at him in confusion, but still nodded. She knew that her cousin's intensions were good, he had been there for her and Brooke when they were younger.

"What I'm trying to say is that I know what kind of guy Nathan is, and I want you to be careful. Ok."

"Jake, we are just friends. But..." She was cut of before she could finish.

Jake grabbed her hand "I know you, and I know that you can handle your self. But I see the way he looks at you, he has never looked at anyone like that. You see Nathan is use to getting what he wants, most girls would just jump at him. But you're different, and I know he sees that."

"I guess but...."

"Just promise me you'll be careful."

"Careful with what?" Brooke asked walking into the living room.

"Nothing" Haley answered quickly, she then turned to Jake and mouthed 'promise'.

Brooke hated it when people would exclude her from a conversation, but there was nothing she could do now. "So you kids ready to go to the movies?"

"Oh yeah" Jake said looking at her "I sort of promised Luke, and Nathan that we could hang today."

Brooke looked at Haley then back to Jake, "well that is not a problem, they can come too. In fact I'll call Peyton and we can all go."

"Sounds great, I'll call the guys and tell them." Jake jumped of the couch and ran to his room to make the call.

Brooke did the same, but she called Peyton.

Haley was left alone in the living room with her thoughts, when she heard Brooke running down the stairs.

"Ok, she said yes. She's going to meet us there."

"Luke and Nathan are on their way to the movies" Jake said standing next to Brooke.

"Ok then, let's go" Brooke said walking over to her sister, she grabbed Haley's hand and made their way out the door. "Jake we'll take your car" She yelled from the outside, as a fact.

* * *

They all walked into the room with the big screen. Jake was in the front leading the way, he walked over to the row of seat and sat. Peyton sat next to him, followed by Lucas, Brooke, Haley, and Nathan. They got three buckets of popcorn, one for every couple. But they all got their own soda.

"Have you seen this?" Lucas asked Jake.

"No, but I've been wanting to."

"It's awesome" Nathan said looking over to Jake.

"I really don't get why we couldn't watch a comedy, or a romantic movie?" Brooke asked taking a sip of her drink. She new that her sister hated these kinds of movies.

Peyton turned to face her "because horror is so much more fun."

The lights went down, and the screen lit up. Haley could feel her body getting tense, she really hated scary movies. But she didn't know what movie they were going to watch until they got to the theater.

Through the whole movie you could hear Brooke and Haley screaming, but to Brooke it was impossible to take her eyes off the screen. Haley on the other hand closed her eyes every three seconds. Her right hand was on Nathan's lap, she didn't even realize that she had placed it there. She was so scared that every time she would scream, she would squeeze his leg. Nathan didn't mind, especially after he saw her wrist and bracelet. She was wearing the charm he had given her, so every time she squeezed he would smile.

When the movie was over, Haley jumped off her seat "thank god that's over."

Everyone turned to laugh at her.

"I hate scary movies" she said looking at the floor, while trying to put her jacket on. She looked up and turned to look at Jake "can we go? please."

"Ok, let's go little one" Jake told Haley.

They walked out of the theater, and were standing next to Peyton's car.

"See you guys tomorrow" Jake said, putting his one arm over each of his cousins' shoulders, "let's go ladies."

"Bye guys" Brooke and Haley said at the same time.

* * *

Haley was laying on her bed, she couldn't fall asleep. The images from the movie were stuck in her head, she got up and turned her computer on. She always felt good when she wrote an e-mail to her friends from boarding school.

When she sat the computer on her lap she heard a noise, she wasn't sure if it was in her head or if it was real. A few seconds later she heard it again, it was coming from the window. Haley got off the bed and walked to the window, she moved the curtain and peaked through the blinds. She saw a boy, a boy standing outside her window.

She opened the window to see who it was, when she saw who it was she looked confused "what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Me? why?"

"Can you come down here? or do you want me to go up there?" He asked.

Haley was shocked, but she trusted him "come up here."

The boy climbed up the tree, and jumped in her window.

Haley sat on her bed "so what do you need to talk to me about"

"Well, you're pretty much the only person I can ask this, and trust that wont spread it."

"What is it?" Haley asked.

He walked over to her and sat next to her "Ok, I'm just going to say it. Do you know if your sister likes me?"

Haley was confused "Lucas, I think that's something you need to ask her."

"Yeah, I know. But I really wanted to know if she liked me before jumping in, you know?"

"Yeah"

He jumped at her answer "Yeah she likes me, or Yeah you know?"

"Yeah I know" she said bringing his hopes back down, "I can't tell you anything. If she does or doesn't like you, you're just going to get the answers from her. I'm sorry."

"It's fine" he told her looking down "do you know if she's awake?"

"I really don't know" she looked at him and felt a light bulb light up "wait here, I'm going to get her."

"What?" Lucas asked jumping on his feet.

"Well, you can't go to her room. If Jake sees you he would probably kill you, so I'll tell her to come talk to you and I'll stay in her room."

"Thanks."

"you're welcome" she told him, and turned around to walk out of the room.

* * *

Brooke and Lucas were in Haley's room talking, the room was dark. They couldn't afford their aunt finding a boy in one of their rooms, and they definitely didn't want Jake finding out that it was one of his friends.

Lucas turned to look at her, and grabbed her hands "Brooke, I know that we have only known each other for about a month. But I really feel like I know you, I feel really comfortable when I'm with you. I know that you might think it's too soon, but I was wondering if...'

Brooke cut him off "yes"

"What?" Lucas was now extremely confused.

"Yes Lucas, the answer is yes" she said very exited.

"But you don't know the question, and yeah you might have a good guess. But I am a ver....." He was cut of by Brooke's lips pressing against his, he had never felt lips so soft. He pulled her away with both his hands on either side of her face, "you're answer is yes" he had just realized what was happening.

Brooke kissed him again, then pulled away "I think you better go, I'll see you tomorrow."

Lucas walked to the window, and jumped on the tree. Before making his way down he looked at her "I'll pick you up tomorrow for school."

Brooke looked at him and blushed "ok" she saw him make his way down, when he had reach the bottom she whispered to him "bye boyfriend." Then Brooke turned around and closed the window.

Making her way back to her room she couldn't believe what had just happened, it was like a scene from a movie. When she walked in her room she saw Haley sleeping in her bed, she really didn't feel like waking her to tell her the story. She looked so peaceful sleeping, so she walked to her bed and laid next to her sister.

* * *

"Good morning pretty girl."

"Good morning to you boyfriend" Brooke leaned and gave him a quick kiss.

"Oh god. this PDA is killing me, I'm going to find someone to talk to that wont be sucking each other's face the whole time." Haley said sarcastically.

"Why don't you go find your 'friend' Nathan?" Brooke told her making air quotes.

"Shut up, Nathan and I ar..."

"What about me?" Nathan asked walking up behind Haley.

Haley turned red "nothing."

"Ok, then can I ask you a favor?"

Brooke and Lucas were just standing there looking at the way they interacted.

"Sure" Haley told him.

"You're not busy right?"

"No, Tim asked for Friday's off. so I have no one to tutor today."

"Ok, we are going to go" Brooke said winking at her sister, and pulling Lucas with her. "I'll see you at practice.'

Haley nodded, and turned back to Nathan "so what did you need."

"Well I need help with my Science project, do you think you can help me?"

"Yeah, who's your teacher?" she asked him, walking towards the library.

"Mr. Jacobson."

"Oh is that the report he assigned on Monday?"

"Yeah" he answered her opening the door so she could walk in, he walked in behind her. "Wow, can you believe that I've never been here?"

She looked at him "actually I can."

He chuckled and sat on the chair next to her.

Haley looked at him shyly "I know that Mr. Jacobson said that we could have partner for this project, right?"

"Yeah."

"So do you have one?" she asked him nervously, she was hoping he would say no.

He looked straight at her "Haley, I am Nathan Scott. No one wants to be my partner, they're scared that I'll flake all the time for something else."

"Oh." she looked at him "well then do you want to be partners, I know that Mr. Jacobson said that if you do your project with a partner then you have to present it to the class, and you also have to include a poster. But I think we could really make a kick ass project, but you really don't have to if you don't want to. I mean I was just suggesting that we could be partners, we don't neces....."

Nathan cut her off before she could pass out, from lack of air "Haley, I would love to be partners."

She took a deep breath "really?"

"Yeah, and you know you're kind of cute when you get nervous."

Haley just blushed at his comment, she then turned to face him "I guess we better go tell Mr. Jacobson that we are partners."

"That is actually a really good Idea."

They got up and started to walked towards the door, right before they could step out Mr. Jacobson walked in. Haley and Nathan both took a step back.

"Haley, Mr. Scott" he said looking at each of them when he called out their names, "I am really looking forward to reading your project Haley."

"Mr. Jacobson we were actually on our way to talk to you" Haley told him

"Yeah, well what do you need me for."

"Well you see, when you gave us the project assignment you said that we could have partners if we wanted. I know that their is more stuff to do, but it could actually be...."

"What she's trying to say, is that we are partners for the project" Nathan said cutting Haley from her trail of words, "if it's fine with you that is" he added when Mr. Jacobson gave them no answer.

"That is fine, but you do know that this project is due Monday. That only gives you the weekend to work on it."

"We know, and I promise you won't be disappointed." Haley told him.

"Well then see you Monday, and Mr. Scott I'll see you in class today right?"

"That's right sir, I'll be there."

Then Haley pulled Nathan by his shirt and walked out of the library, "I don't think he likes you very much" she pointed out.

"Hey, people love me" he told her popping his collar.

The bell rang and Haley looked at him "ok Mr. loved by everyone. I'll text you later with the plan." Then she turned around and walked to her class.

* * *

Nathan was seating on his desk, this was his last class. He was ready to get home, he then felt his phone vibrate. The first thought that came to his mind was _Haley texting about the project_, he opened the phone and read the message.

**Hey can you meet me today? ****J**

He clicked reply and texted back **yeah sure, when?**

**I have practice so at about 4**

Once more he replied **Yeah, I'll see you then**

* * *

".no" Brooke said walking over to the blond girl, "Bevin you have to open your arms like this" she showed her.

"Brooke, your routine is too hard" Bevin said, with a sound of defeat.

"Ok, first of all there is a reason why your squad made me captain. Second, there is also a reason why you never win anything. And third." Her tone went from mean to really nice and understanding "if you want to win, you need to apply yourself, if you don't wont hard how do you expect to get good results."

"Fine" Bevin told her.

"Ok then, from the top."

Haley was right next to her sister during the routine, she did a turn and when she saw Nathan walking into the gym. He made his way to the bleachers and sat to watch, she could hear the girls giggling and whispering.

"Looks like someone came to see you" Brooke told Haley still doing the dance.

"Shut up"

When the music finished Nathan stood up and clapped, a lot of the girls bowed. Haley thought that was kind of dumb, It wasn't like he was the king.

Brooke walked to the front "Ok, that was really good. I'll see you all tomorrow morning." Then she walked to get her bag on the bleachers with her sister.

When they got to the bleachers Nathan walked down to them "Hey" he said smiling at Haley.

"Hey."

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah, but" she looked at her sister "I have to drop Brooke off first."

Brooke looked at her "or I can take the car, and you can get a ride with Nathan.'

"Brooke, you can't offer rides for other people"

"It's cool with me" Nathan said.

Brooke looked at Haley "ok then, it's settled give me the keys" she said stretching out her hand.

Haley pulled the keys out of her bag and placed them on Brooke's hand "be careful" she warned her.

"Ok, I'll see you tonight. Bye Nate." She turned around and walked out of the gym.

A few of the girls were still there, they kept staring. This made Haley feel very uncomfortable, she hated been stared or looked at.

They both stepped on the court and Nathan saw a basketball on the floor, he bent down grabbed the ball and shot it from half court.

Haley didn't expect it to go in, he was way to far from the hoop. She stared at the ball, as did the rest of the girls that were left in the gym. The ball went straight in.

"Oh, nothing but net" Nathan said with a cocky look.

Haley smiled at him "lucky shot."

"oh luck has nothing to do it" he turned to look at her, "hey, let me take this for you" he took her bag of her shoulder and carried it for her.

* * *

Haley spent all weekend working with Nathan on their project, if she would have done it by herself she would had finished. But because she decided to get a partner, she had to start all over. She wasn't complaining she had a really good time working with Nathan, and regardless of what everyone said about him, he was a really nice guy.

It was now Wednesday, and they had not gotten their report back. She really wanted to know how they did, it was one thing to have her grade on the line but this time she also had to worry about Nathan's.

She walked into Mr. Jacobson's class really nervous, she went to her regular spot and took her seat. There was something different today, she couldn't really point it out but it was there. She then turned around and saw Nathan sitting next to her.

"Hey" he said

"Hey, you're in this class?" she was very confused.

"Well I wasn't, but the counselor said I was transferred in, they did some changes with my schedule."

The bell rang and Haley sat straight.

"So I had a really good time working on the project with you." He told her

"Mr. Scott" the teacher yelled at Nathan.

"Yes Mr. Jacobson?"

Mr. Jacobson was still looking at Nathan, "perhaps you and your girlfriend" he said pointing at Haley who had turned red as a tomato "Would like to come up here."

"I think we're fine here, but thanks for the offer" Nathan told him, making the whole class laugh at his answer.

"Oh, maybe I didn't make myself clear. Would you and Ms. James, please come up here."

They both started to make their way to the teacher's desk, Haley was extremely nervous. She had never been in any sort of trouble before, when she reached the desk she let out a sight "did we do something wrong?" she asked.

Mr. Jacobson looked at her then turned to Nathan, and back to her "no" he said walking to stand next to them, he now spoke louder "I just wanted to congratulate you two for your project, you managed to get the highest grade in the class."

"Really?!" Nathan asked exited, this would have to be the first time he was being congratulated by a teacher.

"Yes, and for this great accomplishment you get this."

"What is this?" Haley asked the teacher.

"This Ms. James, is a free pass. It can be use for an assignment, a test, a late pass, or a leave early pass."

"Sweet"

"Yes Mr. Scoot very sweet. Now you two can take your seats."

They both walked over to their desks, once Nathan reached his desk he turned to Haley and whispered "maybe we should use this to get out early, then we can go out to lunch to celebrate."

Haley looked at him, she would never really need it for a test of homework. "Ok, that sound really good."

Nathan smiled at her "Ok, then we'll use them to get out early."

* * *

**Next time we'll get to experience Haley and Nathan's lunch date, let's hope they make it to the next lever. Also we will see more cousin interaction between Haley, Brooke, and Jake. We will also see Brooke and Lucas have their first fight.**


	5. I can

**Thanks for the reviews guys...**

**Here is a ew chapter and as promised you get to see Nathan and Haley's lunch date, and Lucas and Brooke's first fight.**

Chapter 5

"What can I get you today?"

"I'll have a double cheeseburger" he said and put the menu down.

"Fires or Onion rings?"

"Onion rings" he told the lady taking the order, then turned to face Haley, "are you ready?"

"yes" she said looking at him, she turned to face the lady "I'll a turkey sandwich, with fries."

"Ok, so I have a double cheeseburger and a turkey sandwich both with fires. Would you like anything to drink?

"I'll have a coke" Nathan said.

"I'll have and ice tea."

"Ok, I'll get your drinks and put your orders in" she turned around and heard Haley say "thank you" but she kept walking.

"I'm really glad you were my partner, I've never gotten an A before. Well unless P.E counts."

"Well I had a lot of fun with you Nathan" she pointed out, and turned to see the lady placing thier drinks in front of them. The lady then turned around and went to the kitchen once more. "At my old school the only partner I got was Brooke, we pretty much did everything together."

He was now looking at her "yeah, why are you two in the same grade. I mean you don't look like twins" he pointed out.

Haley gave him a smile and let out a little giggle "no we are not twins."

"But you are sisters, right?"

"Yeah."

He was confused "so... how is it that you two are on the same grade, I mean don't get me wrong. But Brooke doesn't seem very smart."

Haley laughed at his comment "she's not" she started, but the waitress brought their food and placed it on their table.

"Is there anything else I can get for you two?"

"No, we're good thanks" Nathan told the waitress.

"Ok, if you need anything, just asked" with that said she turned around and left once more.

Haley turned to Nathan and grabbed a piece of her sandwich "like I was saying, Brooke is not very bright. But when we where at boarding school the only way we could share a bunk was if we were in the same grade, and I wasn't going to go back so I helped her skip a grade." She was now taking a bite.

Nathan just smiled at her "that's really nice."

"Yeah, Brooke is a very dependable person so it really helped her to be with me."

They were both eating, they spoke a few words back and forth. When they were done the waitress came and brought the check. Nathan took the check and went to the register to pay.

Haley was shocked, he didn't even give her a chance to look at the check and just paid.

"Ok, are you ready to go?"

Haley nodded and got up, then they both walked out the door and into his car. Once in the car Haley turned to face Nathan, she couldn't keep it in any more she had to ask him.

"So do you always take the check without asking?"

Nathan felt uncomfortable for a minute "does that bother you, I mean I don't really do this."

"Go out to dinner?"

"No, well yes. What I mean is go out to dinner with a girl, it's usually a group thing."

"So you've never dated?" she felt really dumb for asking the question.

Nathan let out a small chuckle "yes I have, but with most girls is just a physical thing."

"oh" that was all Haley could say.

As they arrived back at the school Nathan parked the car, then turned to Haley "hey, I need you to know that it's different with you. What I mean is that when I'm with you I don't feel like I need to be the ass that I usually am."

Haley just smiled at him, Jake had warned her about him and the way he was with girls. But she felt that he was different somehow, maybe he was different with her. She felt that he opened up to her that somehow she was important to him, but who was she kidding they were just friends and there was no way in hell he would ever be interested in her that way.

"Ok, we better go" Nathan said opening the door, before he could step out he felt her grab his arm.

"Nathan" she saw him turn to face her, "thanks for being honest with me."

"Yeah" that was all he could say, then he stepped out of the car and waited for her so they could walk in the school together.

* * *

Jake was sitting with his cousin at the dinning room, it was time for dinner at their house. The only person missing was Jake's mom, but their was a reason why the kids were eating dinner all alone if you could call pizza dinner.

Brooke took a bite of her pizza and looked at her sister "so how was your lunch date?"

"What lunch date?" Jake jumped at Brooke's words.

Haley gave Brooke a glare, then turned to Jake "it wasn't a date, it was two friends eating lunch."

"yeah sure. So what did he say, I'm sure you two talked?"

"Who?"

"Nathan" Brooke told Jake in a duh tone.

Jake turned to look at Haley "you had a date with Nate?"

Haley was really getting tired of everyone calling this a date, "it wasn't a date." She turned to Brooke "that is the last time I tell you anything." Haley knew that wasn't true, if there was one person she could completely trust it was Brooke.

"So where did you go on your non-date?" Jake asked Haley.

"We just went out to lunch, we got early out passes for getting a good grade on the project."

Their was a moment of silence, Brooke wanted to ask her more questions about it but she knew that Haley wouldn't want to talk about it infron of Jake.

Just as they were done with their dinner they heard the door open, they all walked to the door to check who it was. In a way they all knew who it was.

"Hello kids."

Jake jumped up to be in the front "dad" he gave him a hug.

"Oh I missed you boy."

"I missed you too, how long do you stay this time?" Jake asked his father, his job had him travel all around the world for meetings.

"Just a week, I'm trying to get time off when you start your games." he said stepping in the house and closing the door behind him.

Jake's dad was a bilengual worker, the company for which he worked for had him travel to help the development. Most of the time he was sent to spanish speaking countries, but every now and then he was sent to other places. There was always someone who needed the little extra help and training, and that was what he did.

"Javier, you remember Brooke and Haley" Becky asked her husband, pointing to each of the girls as she mentioned their names.

"of course, I changed their diapers" he then stretched out his hand and shook the girls' hands.

Haley was uncomfortable by the comment he made, but Brooke could care less she knew that other people had changed her diapers. Their mom was a very friendly person, and usually had someone do the job for her.

"It's nice to see you again" Haley said.

Javier and Becky walked up to their bedroom to put his stuff, Jake followed his parents while talking to his dad about basketball. Brooke and Haley also followed them but didn't make it all the way to their bedroom, they stopped at Brooke's for a talk Brooke had plenty of questions for her sister.

* * *

"Hey."

Haley turned to see who it was, she wasn't expecting anyone at a library this early. Specially since Tim had asked to have sessions only two times a week, Mondays and Wednesdays.

"Hey."

"Look I know that to get a tutor you have to sing up at school" he said walking towards her, he then pulled out a chair and sat next to her. "But I really don't want to whole school findinf out that I need extra help, I mean is not like they don't think I do but I really don't want to make it all that obvious."

The boy was giving Haley a pleading look, all she could do was smile he wanted her to tutor him.

Haley placed her right hand on his left shoulder facing him, "Nathan you're not dumb" she saw him pull his head up to look into her eyes "a lot of people need extra help, and I would be happy to help you."

He was relieved. She was actually going to help him "but do you think we can keep it on the DL?"

She looked straight at him, her hand still on his shoulder "yeah, I think that can be arranged."

He let out a big sight "thanks Hales, I really need to get this grades up or I won't be able to play on the team this year."

"No problem" she put her books back in her bag to go to class, "do you think you could come over to my house later today?"

Nathan was surpriced he never expected her to invite him to her house "Yeah, that's perfect."

"Ok, then I'll see you then" she gave him a smile and walked to the door, she turned to see him one more time before stepping out but he wasn't there anymore. Haley was confuced the boy was sitting next to her just a minute ago and now he was gone.

Still staring at the table confused she felt someone on her other side.

"Are you ok?" she heard the person next to her ask.

To be honest the library was kind of creepy so yes she was terrified to turn and see some random thing, she closed her eyes and turned to see who it was behind her. When she opened her eyes she let out a gasp "Nathan, you idiot you scared the crap outta me."

Nathan chuckled "what did I do?"

Haley was relieve as she rubbed her forehead "don't ever sneak up on me like that. Got it?"

She then turned around and walked out of the library, Nathan walking right behind her.

* * *

Brooke was ready for school, she told Haley that she had a ride to school so she didn't come pick her up. Although Brooke wonder why Haley bothered to go to the Libriary on days that she had no one to tutor, it was really amazing to her how much her sister studied.

She felt her phone vibrate in her jeans pocket, she flipped the phone open and walked to the window once she read the message sent by Lucas. She smiled and ran down the stairs and out the door.

Once in the car she buckled her seat belt and turned to Lucas, "Hey."

Lucas looked at her like she was a goddess, she was beautiful but the way he was looking at her let's just say that beautiful was an understatement.

When he managed to get his head straight he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, "good morning, pretty girl."

* * *

Haley was sitting in her Science class when she felt her phone vibrate, she usually didn't like to use her phone during class but something told her that she should answer it so she looked at the screen and smiled.

hey need to talk to you tonight. very important

~Brooke~

She pressed reply and texted back to her sister.

I hope it has nothing to do with Lucas... i really don't want to hear about it.

She was now trying to pay attention science was not an easy subject, when she felt her phone vibrate again.

well then, i guess that leaves nothing for us to talk about. :)

~Brooke~

Fine I promise we'll talk about him. now i have to go. bye After finishing the text she sent it and put her phone back in her pocket.

"Ms. James is there something you would like to share with the class?" Mr. Jacobson asked.

Haley was blushing she was so embarrassed, she hated to be put in the spotlight. "Umm... No" she answered nervously.

The teacher was still looking at her "it looked like you were having some fun back there, with your giggles" he pointed to the back with the ruler he was holding.

"Actually we were talking about how much fun we had working on that project" Nathan told the teacher giving Haley a smile.

After taking at glance at Haley it was no secret that she was beyond embarrased, he had only know the girl for about a month yet he felt he knew her pretty well.

"Well I'm glad you had fun Mr. Scott, I see that you actually worked on that project. I am glad that you're girlfriend can help you focus."

Haley turned red as a tomato was sure that they were a couple, as much as she didn't mind it she new that other girls would be glaring at her.

"Ok, so back to the history of earthquakes" the teacher said turning to write something on the white board.

Haley gave Nathan a smile "thanks."

"No problem" he told her with a smirk.

* * *

Brooke walked up to her locker only to find Lucas talking to some girl, she acted casual as she approched. She walked up behind Lucas and waited for him to realize she was there but he was way to caught up on his conversation, she could believe that he didn't notice her there.

"Yeah, my dad got me the unreleased new track. Do you want to borrow it?" the girl asked Lucas with a flirtacious smile.

"Of course, I love Keane."

"Ok, then I'll bring it tomorrow maybe we can meet at lunch?"

"Yeah that would be great. I'll see you then" Lucas said waving to the girl.

When he turned around he crashed with a smaller person "sorry" he said then looked down to find out it was Brooke.

"Hey, how was class" he asked her genuinely.

Brooke could feel her blood rushing so fast, all she wanted to do was punch the blond girl that had been talking to Lucas. She looked at him a grim "I don't know you tell me."

Lucas was now confused "what?"

"Who was she?" she said pointing in the direction were the girl had been standing.

"Brooke are you jealous?"

"I'm sorry buddy I don't get jealous" she told him walking toward his car. This was true well partially true, she wasn't the jelous type but something about this boy made her feel very overprotective.

Lucas drove her to her house, but Brooke never spoke a word.

He pulled up to her house and put the car on park, then turned to her "Brooke are you ok?"

"Do you even know her name?" she couldn't believe the words that just came out of her mouth.

Lucas looked confused. He scratched his head "who, Britney?"

"Yeah, well the skank you were talking to before."

"Brooke, I just met her." He looked at her and could see that she was not pleaced that he new her name. "We bumped into eachother and I saw a Keane sticker on her folder, so we started to talk about it."

Brooke turned to face him "I don't like her."

Lucas was shocked he had never seen this side of Brooke before, she was a social butterfly as they call it and she was always peppy and happy.

"Lucas I really would appreciate it if you didn't talk to her anymore."

"Why"

She was mad, why was he asking why wasn't it obvious. She took a deep breath before answering, "Do you ever think of anyone but yourself? Did you think about me? What it would do to me to see you with her?" she calmed down a little before continuing. "Look I just don't like her, Ok"

Lucas was speechless for a minute, once he gather his thoughts he looked into her eyes and let his answer out. "Brooke, I can't just stop talking to people because you don't like them." He reached out and grabbed her hand "just give me a good reason and I promise I'll stay away from her, but I need a good reason."

She unbuckled her seat belt open the door and stepped out of the car, before closing the door she yelled at him "what about, because you have a girl friend who has feelings and who was actually bother by this. Is that good enough for you?" she slammed the door and ran in the house.

Lucas was left speechless in his car, he couldn't believe this had just happened.

* * *

**Please review, all reviews are appriciated. **

**take care .**


	6. A kiss always means something

**Thanks for the reviews everyone.**

**Just ro refresh your memorie on the last chapter we had Jake and Haley have a talk about Nathan, Brooke and Lucas had their fight.**

**if you have any questions just ask.**

**Also if you have any ideas for what could come next please tell me, any help is appriciated.**

Chapter 6

It had been about a month or so since their fight, and Brooke still could believe the way she had acted. But she did feel like someone was trying to take her boyfriend from her and she hated that, she hated to feel like he could just go for someone else.

how can you think that he loves you. Ok, maybe he hasn't said those exact words but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel it. Besides his not that kind of person. Brooke thought to her self on the car ride to school.

Meanwhile Haley kept her eyes on the road but couldn't help to wonder what was wrong with her sister, all she new was that they had a fight and Brooke walked out on him. Then a few days later they talked it out.

"Hey whatcha thinking about there?" Haley asked her.

Brooke turned to face her sister who was looking at the road "nothing. Just worried about the routine."

"Why? We still have a week to practice, and most of the girls already got it."

Brooke was now looking at the road in front of her "yeah. But you know me, everything has to be perfect."

"Yeah, I guess we have to thank dad for that."

Once parked in the school lot Haley turned to her sister and put her hand on Brooke's knee, "everything is going to be fine."

Brooke smiled at her sister, then she turned around and got out of the car as did Haley. Then they both walked toward the school doors.

* * *

"Haley!"

Haley turned to see who was calling her and saw Nathan running to her.

"Hey" she said when he met her.

"Hey, I need to talk to you."

Haley was now nervous what could he want to talk about, for the last month or so they had become really good friends, she was tutoring him in secret because he had asked her to keep it on the DL. Did someone find out what was going on, and maybe he thought she had told someone.

"Bout what?" she asked him with a worried look.

"Oh no it's nothing bad" he told her pulling her to an empty table in the lunch room, he turned to face her and could see that she was still worried "I just wanted to thank you."

"For what?" now she was just confused, what did he need to thank her for.

"Well tryouts where last week and I hadn't had the chance to talk to you, and tell you that I made the team."

Haley gave him a hug "Nathan I'm so proud of you, but of course you did you're like the best player they have."

"I guess, but the only reason I made it was cause my grades improved and that I owe all to you" he smiled, "you're like the best tutor ever."

After a short moment of silence Nathan started to talk again "anyways, are you going to the first game? it's next week."

"umm."

"Come on please come." he begged.

Haley chuckled before answering his beg. "Nathan, I have to go do you know who my sister is?"

"Oh, yeah I forgot you were on the cheer squad" he said feeling stupid for begging in the first place.

Haley saw the change in his expression and quickly told him "but trust me if I wasn't I couldn't had said no to your begging."

Nathan blushed a little and tried to hide it, but Haley noticed. She had never seen a guy blush like that, god she had never made a guy blush herself.

She placed her hand on his shoulder "hey I have to go, I have practice and you don't want to get on Brooke's evil side." She stood up and grabbed her bag.

"Wait" Nathan waited for her to turn around, "I'll go with you, after all we share the gym and I have practice too." He put his arm around her once he reached her "you know I have my first game of the year next week" he said sarcastically and started to laugh, as did she.

* * *

The gym doors open and everyone turned to see who it was coming in, as the door slammed shut Haley and Nathan made their way passed the bleacher. Neither one of them had noticed that everyone was staring at them. In a way they were too pre-occupied with their own conversation.

"Haley! You're late" Brooke said walking over to her sister, once she reached her she grabbed her arm "you know how important this is, why are you late?"

Haley gave Nathan a look then turned back to Brooke "I was talking to Nathan."

"Oh, hi Nate sorry but I need my sis. so you're going to have to wait till after practice" she pulled Haley and they made their way to the rest of the girls.

Practice for both the boys and the girls went pretty smooth, the boys went into the locker room to change.

"Girls" Brooke said clapping her hands trying to get all of the chatting girls' attention.

Once all the girls were quiet and looking at her she continued "ok, so tomorrow their will be a new girl joining us. She's a new student and was on her old school's squad so principal Turner said she would have to be included, I want you all to make her feel welcome, Ok" Brooke waited for the girls to nod, "ok then I'll see you all tomorrow after school."

The girls started gather their things, then most of them left as soon as they got their stuff.

* * *

The next day at school Brooke was extremely nervous for one thing, she was going to meet the new girl and if that wasn't enough she was going to see Lucas who was out of town the last two days. She had never been so nervous to see a guy, it was like this boy was taking over her heart and she didn't want that to happen she had been very protective of it for a while.

Both girls got out of the car and walk towards the school, it was weird but today they had actually managed not to talk about anything on their way to school. Frankly this worried Haley a little she new that every time her sister didn't talk much was for a reason, the reason being she was scared about something. But if Brooke didn't want to tell her she wasn't going to force her, she was not the pushy type.

Haley turned to Brooke "hey I'll see you at lunch k."

"Okay" Brooke said giving her sister a smile, then turned and walked to her locker.

"Hello pretty girl."

At the sound of his voice she turned rather quick.

"Got you this" he told her handing her a little box.

Brooke gave him a smile "Luke you didn't have to get me anything" she told him opening the box.

"I know, but I wanted to."

Brooke gasped "Oh my god Lucas this is beautiful, thank you I love it." She managed to tell him pulling out a silver necklace with a heart pendant that said 'love' in cursive.

"I'm glad you like it" he told her while standing behind her to put it on her.

Brooke turned around "I love it" she told him and gave him a quick peck. She didn't want to get detention for PDA, especially now that it was so close to the season opening for basketball it would hurt both of them.

* * *

By lunch time they were all sitting together, Peyton and Brooke had become real good friends. Peyton was practically one of the sister, but Haley wasn't so close to her she couldn't quite pin point it but their was something she didn't like about her. But it didn't matter as long as her sister was happy which she was.

Lucas, Jake and Nathan walked over to the table were the girls were at, but this time they were walking with two other boys. As they sat Lucas pointed to the boys "Haley, Brooke this is Mouth and Skillz."

Nathan then jumped in to explain the relationship they had "Skillz use to play basketball with Lucas at the river court, he now plays for the team."

"And mouth is the school's sports announcer" Peyton said giving Mouth a smile.

Now everyone was sitting, and Haley looked at both of the new boys. Skillz had chocolate skin color, bald and had a beautiful smile, as for Mouth had big ears and nose, as well as mouth, he also had sandy blond hair.

"Nice to meet you both" Haley said, "I'm Haley and this is my sister Brooke."

"So how you liking Tree Hill?" Skillz asked taking a bite of his food, which looked like a peanut butter sandwich.

"I love it" Brooke said playing with her new necklace and giving Lucas a smirk.

They all kept eating talking about how they were about the first game of the season, Brooke got in a couple of spoilers about her routine and the boys sounded really enthusiastic about it.

The bell rang for them to go back to class, so they all got their stuff and walked out of the cafeteria.

Haley grabbed her sister and took her to the side to talk to her privately, "hey I have to skip practice today."

"What!? Haley you know how important this is, and this is the only day we get the whole gym to ourselves."

"I know and I'm really sorry, but I have an emergency tutoring session one of the students has a test tomorrow that he is not ready for."

"Let me guess. Tim"

"No, and even if it was I can't tell you that is confidential."

"Fine, but on tomorrow you are going to work twice as hard." She said pointing at her sister.

"Fine, I promise" Haley promised her sister "now I have to go or I'm going to be late, I'll see you at home."

* * *

The girls were in the middle of their routine when they heard the door, they all turned to see who it was and they saw a slim red head make her way to the rest of the girls.

"Hi, I'm Rachel" the red head said waving at the rest of the girls.

"You must be the new girl" Brooke pointed out, "it's nice to meet you" she then turned to the rest of the girls "okay girls to the bleachers."

All the girls including Rachel made their way to the bleachers and waited for Brooke to say what she was about to say.

"Okay, so today's practice will be a little off because my sister decided she couldn't make it. So we are going to do the routine and leave Haley's spot free, Rachel will be between Bevin and Theresa and we'll figure it out from there. Got it?" she looked at each of the girls making sure they all nodded. "Ok then lets begin."

* * *

Haley was in the her room reading a book when she heard someone knocking her door.

"Come in."

The door open slowly and a head started to poke to see if she was busy.

"Hey" she smiled, "you can come in, unless you would rather stand out there."

"Hey, thanks for helping me. I know this sounds weird coming from me but I really want to pass this test."

"Nathan, it's not weird at some point everyone wants to change and I have to say I'm glad you're changing for the better."

He walked over to her bed and sat at the end of the bed, while she sat leaning her head against the head board.

They looked into each other's eyes for about a minute but Haley felt the need to break the ice "we should get started, there is tons to go over."

"Yeah."

It had been about two hours that they had been studying, and Brooke was going to get home soon. At least she didn't have to worry about Jake today, he was out of town with his mom and dad they had decided that they would all go with Javier to his next business trip.

Nathan walked over and sat next to Haley on the bed once he was done putting all his books away, once he was placed he looked into her eyes "I'm glad you decided to go to Tree Hill High.

Haley blushed at his words, but couldn't take her eyes of him "me too."

He could see that she was honest in her eyes, he had never been able to see that before. "Thanks for helping me" it was all he could manage to say, his heart was beating a million miles per hours.

"It's fine, I like helping you."

Nathan could see that she was blushing, and he couldn't stop looking in her eyes. How can someone he had known for such a short time have this effect on him, he couldn't even think straight. That was it he couldn't think when this girl was so close to him, he didn't even realized he had leaned closer until he felt his lips pressing against hers. It felt so good so soft, it felt like nothing before he could feel the electricity running through his body.

Haley was very much enjoying this too, she could have pushed him away but she went along with it, she felt his hands on her back as she placed her on his neck. They were lost in the lust, they didn't even realize that someone was standing at her door.

The person at the door clear it's throat.

* * *

After practice Brooke called Lucas to see if he could give her a ride to home, she didn't want to bother her sister she knew that if she was tutoring someone it was important.

"Hey, thanks for picking me up. I really didn't want to bother Haley she said she had an emergency session so it must be important."

"It's fine I love being your driver" he laughed then continued, "plus this way I know exactly were you are" he chuckled.

"Oh so you're one of those controlling boyfriends?" she asked him in a joke tone.

"Of course pretty girl, I just want to know that you're safe."

"Okay, in that case I guess I'll call you when I need something" she told him in a flattered tone, her tone then turned frustrated "then I won't have to beg Haley to let me use her car."

Lucas was confused "I thought that was both of you guys'."

"I wish" she scoff "when we turned sixteen Haley got the school to let us work, so everyday after class we would go to the mall to work at this boutique. Haley saved her money as for me I would just spend it at the same boutique" she told him, "we got discounts" this time she gave him a huge smile.

"Oh I see, so Haley got a car with her money and you got..." He had a questionable look now.

"Clothes Lucas."

"I got to say, you got a pretty smart sister" he told her and looked at her to see that she was glaring at him.

"You're smart too, I mean you skipped a whole grade. And I'm guessing you are smart enough to know that we are here."

Brooke looked out the car window and saw her house "wow you're fast."

"What can I say I got mad driving skills" he said popping his collar.

"Shut up" Brooke told said smacking his arm, she then lean over and kissed him softly "I'll see you tomorrow." She got out of the car and ran in her house.

Lucas saw her make her way to the door, once she walked inside he left.

Brooke walked upstairs, she was quiet she didn't want to disturb whom ever her sister was tutoring she knew how important tutoring was to Haley.

When she got up stairs she saw that Haley's door was open, which probably meant she was done. She walked in, and right there in front of her eyes she saw her sister kissing a boy, she could only see the boy's back. She had a good guess of who it was but wasn't sure.

She took at step in hoping that they would notice her standing there but nothing, the only thing she could think of was to clear her throat. so she did, the next thing she saw was Haley jump and release the boy who also released her. When the boy turned to face Brooke she could not believe her eyes, she knew all along that they liked each other but never expected to find this in her sister's room.

"Nathan?" Brooke questioned.

Haley was beyond embarrassed, she brought her hands to her face and shook her head. How could have let this happened, and gotten this far.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter was short but I had a few problems with the computer.**

**Please review.**

**take care... **


	7. The Next Level

**A/N - Ok first of all I want to say sorry for taking so long to update, my computer's charger broke and I didn't have time to buy a new one till today. And second I would like to thank all the reader.**

**Last time on Learning to Live we saw Brooke and Lucas get over their fight, and Haley having a private lesson with Nathan.**

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me it was him?" Brooke asked her sister with a hurt voice.

Haley couldn't believe her sister was still going on about the subject, ok yeah she caught them kissing in her room but it's not like they were doing something illegal. She kept playing it over her head, the humiliation of having her sister find her in the middle of a kiss with a boy in her room.

"God Brooke I didn't think it was important" she told her frustrated, "it's not like I planned the whole situation to happen, it just did."

"I know but it's Nathan" Brooke said as if she was pointing out the obvious, "Lucas' brother which I will have you know is my boyfriend."

"Yes Brooke I am well aware of that."

"Then why did you go after him, it's completely weird to have your sister dating your boyfriends brother."

"Ok first of all" Haley said, this time her tone sounded a little mad "Nathan and I are not dating, and second of all I don't think is any of your business who I decide to date."

Brooke was shocked by the words that just came out of her sister's mouth, Haley never spoke to her like that.

"Now can you please change the subject" Haley said, "like are you exited for the first basketball game on Friday?" this time her voice sounded nice and sweet as if the previous conversation hadn't happened.

Brooke's face lit up with a huge smile, if there was something that could make her smile at this point it would be cheer or Lucas. "Umm.. Duh, hello we've been practicing like crazy."

Haley chuckled, "ok sorry to cut our conversation but we're here, but we can totally pick it up at lunch."

Brooke gave her sister a smile "Ok, I'll see you later."

With taht said the girls got out of the car and practically ran in the school, the alarm went of late that morning and they arrived at school just in time.

* * *

"Hey!"

Haley turn to the sound of a voice right behind her.

"Hey" she said and turned back to her locker to put her books back in, once that was done she turn to face him again.

"Can we talk?"

Haley looked in to his eyes and all the sudden got really nervous, "I...I...I can't... I promise Brooke we umm we could talk at lunch time."

"Well" he said, "by the looks of things, it looks like she's a little pre-occupied at the moment" he told her pointing to Brooke.

Haley turned her face and saw her sister with her boyfriend in what looked to be a very intimate conversation, she had never seen Brooke like that. Sure they had both had boyfriends back in California but they never showed affection in public, everything was kept very low key mostly cause the school was an all girls school.

She turned back to Nathan and swallowed "sure" she smiled and they started to walk.

* * *

Brooke sat in the lunch room with Lucas, also in the table sat Jake, Peyton, Bevin, Skillz, Mouth, and a couple of other people. She was not to into the crowd as she was trying to find her sister, it was very weird for her to worry about Haley but she said they would talk at lunch and she was not showing up.

"Well, it looks like my sister decided not to show up" she told Lucas.

Lucas chuckled a little "yeah, and it looks like my brother decided to not show up also."

They both laughed, they new exactly that they would be together. The difference was that Lucas was exited in a way, and Brooke really didn't like the situation.

* * *

"So.." Haley said as they sat on the lawn in the back of the school.

"I think we both know exactly what we need to talk about" Nathan said, he turned to make sure he was looking at her in the eyes. "Look Haley..."

She cut him before he could finish his sentence "Nathan it's ok I'm not mad."

"But I shouldn't had done that" he stood up and starting pacing in front of her, "I mean don't get me wrong I like it, but that doesn't make it right."

Haley shot up and stood right in front of him so that he couldn't pace anymore, she placed her hand on his arm "you like it?" she asked him shyly.

He looked down and straight into her eyes, "yes."

Haley just smiled as his words sunk in.

"Haley I like you" he told her placing a lose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Nathan."

"No wait, look I know that I don't have the best track record when it comes to relationships but it's different now. You're different, you make me want to be different."

Nathan" she said again, but once more Nathan stepped in.

"Come on Haley you can't tell me you didn't feel anything."

"I did but..." she said with a nervous tone.

"But what?" he said, "can't we just give this a chance?"

* * *

**Ok guys sorry this chapter is so short but I wasn't very inspired, I promise the next one will be longer.**

**Please review. thanks... have an awesome Valentine's day..**


	8. The Big Game

**Thanks for all the reviews guys, I just wanted to give a especial thanks to ****dianehemans ****for commenting on every single one of the chapters, you rock, also thanks to the newest comment from ****xNOBODYSxHOMEx.**

Last chapter – Haley and Brooke talked about what happened with Nathan, and Nathan asked Haley to give him a chance.

**Ch. 8**

"Good morning students, as you know today is Friday also known as midnight madness. If you still haven't purchased your tickets for tonight's game you can purchase them at the gym door tonight, make sure to bring your student I.D card to get a discount on your entrance" Erika Marsh announced on the school channel.

"I'm so nervous for tonight" Brooke told her sister as they walked to their next class.

"Brooke you have nothing to worry about, we have a kick ass routine" Haley said opening her locker.

"Yeah I guess you're right" Brooke said, she was looking at her sister who was now standing in front of her "I'll see you at lunch."

"Wait" Haley said with a questionable look on her face, "I thought we were going to walk to class together."

Brooke looked behind her sister then turned to face her "change of plans, I'll see you at lunch. Bye" she turned around and walked away from her sister.

"What was that about?" Haley asked herself, then she felt someone behind her but stood still.

"I think it was me" he whispered into her ear.

Haley's face lit up as she turned to see his face, "what are you doing here?" she asked with a smile.

"Geez I thought you would be happy to see me" he said.

Haley rolled her eyes "I am, I just thought your class was on the other side of school."

"It is" he said smirking, "I just wanted to come say hi."

"aww you are so cute" she said joking.

"So I walk all the way across campus to have you make fun of me" he told her hurt.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, I'll see you at lunch" he said walking away.

* * *

"Who would've thought that I would be sitting in a table full of cheerleaders" Mouth pointed out as he put his food tray down.

"Mouth you are too kind" Brooke told him.

"So are you guys exited for the game tonight?" Mouth asked.

"Hell to the yes" Skillz answered, "We gonna kick some pirate ass."

"I'm glad you're exited for all of us" Jake pointed out.

"Yeah Skillz, you have to remember this is your first game" Lucas told him.

"So you think I won't do good?" Skillz asked him hurt.

"What he meant, was that the first game is always over whelming" Brooke stepped in to save her boyfriend.

"Hey guys" Haley said putting her tray down.

"So are you exited about tonight or what?" Brooke asked her sister across the table.

Haley chuckled, it amazed her how enthusiastic her sister was about school events. That was definitely something they didn't have in common, "yes Brooke, and I'll be equally exited when you ask me next break, and after school, and when the game starts" Haley trailed of.

"Wow" Nathan said looking at her, he had never seen her talk to her sister like that. It was as if she was mad at her, but he understood that it was just annoying when someone asked you the same thing over and over again.

"Can we talk about something other then the game tonight, please?" Haley begged.

"Fine" Brooke said, "how are you two" she said pointing at Haley and Nathan with her fork.

"Good" Haley said, then turned the question to her sister "what about you two?"

"Well Lucas said he was going to take me to the party tonight as his date" Brooke said turning to Lucas with a smile.

Haley looked at her sister "that's good, considering that he's your boyfriend."

Nathan could feel that they were going to fight, over the past week he had spend a lot of time with the girls and they always found something to fight. He knew that it was just the way the were it didn't mean they didn't love each other, but they love to find something they could fight about.

"Who else is going to the party?" Nathan said. He saw Peyton, Skillz, Fergie, Junk, Brooke, Lucas, and Mouth nod. Then he turned to Haley and saw that she was trying to avoid him, "you're not going?"

"I'm not really a party person" she said finally looking up at him.

"Come on Hales, it's going to be fun" Lucas said, "we're all going to be there" he said looking around the table.

"Please Haley" Brooke pouted.

"Come on" Nathan said, "I need a date."

Haley looked at him and smiled.

"So is that a yes?" he asked with a smirk.

"Fine" she said finally giving in.

* * *

"Welcome to midnight madness" the couch announced, "now we'll bring out the cheerleaders for this year."

As the music started the girls started walking out in the order that Brooke had formed, she was first followed by Haley then Peyton then came Rachel, Theresa, Bevin, Britney, Ashley, Paige, and Stacy.

Once they reached their positions which started with Brooke at front, then Haley and Peyton right behind her and behind them Rachel, Theresa, and Bevin, followed by Britney, Ashley, Paige, and Stacy. The music began and they all started doing as practiced.

When the dance was over they walked over to the gym door which was were the boys would be coming, and started shaking the pompoms.

"Please welcome this year's team" the coach said as the crowd started cheering, "point guard Nathan Scott" he said as Nathan ran out the door passed the girls and into the court. "Shooting guard Lucas Scott" and once again the pattern was followed, "Small forward Tim Smith" he continued, "Power forward "Antwon Skillz Taylor" Skillz did as his the rest of the boys had done, "and center Jake Jagielski" Once all the boys were on the court the girls made their way to where the basket were they where going to be for the rest of the game.

* * *

"Wow ladies and gentlemen this is one intense game, we are now at the end of the second quarter and the score is pretty close. Ravens are winning by six, lets hope they can step up on the next half" Mouth announced as the first half was coming to an end. "And that's the bell, I guess we have to wait to see if the Pirates will be able to win."

Mouth saw Brooke walking with Haley towards the door and gave her a smile, it was really weird to him that they had come such good friends.

"Hales I'm so exited that you're going to the party with me" Brooke said as both girls walked in the bathroom.

Haley looked at her sister and started putting lip gloss on "actually, I'm going to the party with Nathan."

"Either way, you're going to be there" Brooke said, "now let's get outta here."

As the girls walked out the bathroom and started making their way to the gym Brooke kept telling Haley how cool it was that they were going to this party, and that they actually had friends in common with each other and with their cousin.

"Hey pretty girl" he said when he reached her.

Brooke and Haley both turned to see that eat was Lucas.

"Lucas, what are you doing here?" Brooke asked him, then jumped and hugged him.

"Well the coach said we can take a five minute break before we go back inside, Honestly I think he wants us to think about the way we are playing" Lucas told the girls pulling away from the tight hug Brooke gave him.

"I think you guys are doing great" Haley said with a smile.

"That's because of me."

"Yeah right, I'm the one that keeps shooting threes" Lucas told his brother.

Nathan then looked at Haley "so I see that only losers get hugs then."

Haley blushed a little then gave him a hug "of course not" then she pulled away, "but losers don't get this" she said grabbing onto his neck and giving him a kiss.

"No PDA" the coach said as he walked by them.

"Oh god" Haley's face went red as she tried to hide it with Nathan's chest. While the rest laughed.

* * *

**Ok guys I know this chapter is short but I did it at work so I didn't have much time to do it, but next time we will see the party and stuff will happen there. All I can say is that Rachel is going to come between Haley and Brooke's relationships.**

**Please review.**

**I promise I will try to update faster, and if you have any ideas please just P.M me or comment it. thanks**


	9. The Party

**Thank you to my two faithful readers ****dianehermans**** and ****xNOBODYSxHOMEx**** you guys rock and I'm glad you like the story.**

**xNOBODYSxHOMEx- Brooke and Haley still have a strong relationship as sisters, but now they have more on their plate for about seven years it was just the two of them against the world and now they have boyfriends, and friends to think about. But I promise you that I'll try to show more of their relationship on the next chapters. (I kinda based the story on me and my sister and we use to have a deep sister-sister talk every Sunday night to talk about our week and how we felt and stuff.)**

Last chapter- We saw the first game, I also had a lot of Mouth that is because I love Mouth he's always the good guy but never gets what he deserves. Anyways here is the new chapter.

**Ch. 9**

"Who's house is this?" Brooke asked as they parked the car outside. The house was white with black shutters on the windows, it had big black door.

As they stepped out of the vehicle Brooke couldn't help but to frown, this house brought her lots of memories.

Haley looked noticed that her sister was frowning; she walked over to her and asked "are you ok?"

"Yeah" Brooke answered in a very sad low tone.

"Come here" Haley said opening her arms, as soon as Brooke reached her Haley hugged her tightly "I know what you're thinking, and if you want to talk about it we can go home."

"I know" Brooke told her, and then pulled away from the hug "but I think we should stay, we need to have some fun."

"Ok" Haley told her trying to smile, "but if you want to go just say so."

Brooke linked arms with her sisters and they started to make their way to the front door.

When both girls reached the front door they knocked, for starters they were new to Tree Hill parties and well they where raised that way. Their mother had always told them that if you visit a house after dark you knock, that way you don't wake people up except for the person that was waiting for you.

As soon as the door opened they saw the one person they weren't expecting, the girl on the other side eyed them then spoke "well if it isn't the cheer-twins" she said in a mocking tone. She opened the door a little wider and stepped back so the girls could walk in.

"Thanks" Haley told her as they continued to make their way in.

Brooke didn't say a word, she didn't know why but she definitely didn't like Rachel. It wasn't that she was jealous, because to be honest the only thing she could want that Rachel had were her parents. Not exactly her parents but she wished that her parents were with her and her sister.

The sisters walked into the kitchen to get a drink, a boy handed them cups but Haley just shook her head and thanked him. Brooke on the other hand took the cup, she knew that her sister was the responsible one and would be designated driver.

"Well if it isn't my two favorite girls" a voice from behind them yelled making his way over.

Both girls turned around and gave the boy a huge smile.

"Jake" Haley said, and gave him a hug followed by her sister.

"Where have you been?" Brooke asked, "I thought we were gonna ride together."

Jake scratched his head "yeah I know, something came up."

Both girls knew exactly what he meant by 'something' so they let it go.

"What are you doing here all alone?" he asked "did those jerks sent you to a party all alone" Jake tried to sound angry this time.

Both girls giggled, it was funny how Jake was so proactive of them. Jake was there when the whole situation happened, and every time they had a problem they would tell him.

"No we were suppose to come together" Haley began to tell him, "but Brooke here" she said pointing at Brooke "wanted to get here fast, you know how she is about image."

Haley and Jake laughed at Brooke.

"Come on guys it's not funny" she said giving them a pout, "I just thought I should be here since I am the captain of the cheer squad."

"Boy am I glad" Lucas said sneaking behind Brooke.

Brooke turned around, she was so exited to see him "boyfriend, when did you get here?"

He gave her a hug and began to tell her "about five minutes ago" then he turned to Haley knowing what she was going to say "he's parking the car." He saw Haley close her mouth.

"Well you're here and so am I" Brooke pointed out, "let's dance."

Lucas just followed her to the living room where the music was he knew that when Brooke said something it was done, Haley had told him when they started dating she always looked after her sister.

Jake looked at Haley "I don't dance, but if you want we can go sit and wait for Nathan to get here" he saw Haley nod; he grabbed her hand and made their way to a couch on the side.

Haley looked at Jake and could tell that he wanted to ask something, she flipped her hand up and said "what is it?"

"What are you talking about?" Jake asked her confused.

"Jake I know you want to ask something, I know you to well" she pointed out, "so just ask."

Jake looked at his hands which were on his legs then back to her, "ok" he said. "I just want to know how this whole thing with you and Nathan started, I mean I was gone for a few days and when I come back you're dating. Don't get me wrong I like Nathan he's one of my best friends, but I also know how he is with girls and I really don't want him to treat you like that. I guess what I'm trying to say is…"

Haley cut him off "be careful."

"Yes."

Haley put her hands over his "Jake I know how he was, but trust me it's different" she told him. She then smiled at the thought of what she was going to say next, "he's sweet, and he opens up with me. I know that you're just concerned but trust me you don't need to be, he's really a great guy and you guys don't give him the credit he deserves."

Jake just gave her a smile "ok, I trust you" he told her pointing to her.

"I know " she whispered to him, then she reached to him and gave him a hug.

Once Jake pulled away he whispered in her ear, "There is someone who wants to talk to you."

Haley was confused; she saw Jake point behind her, she slowly started to turn around and saw him standing behind her. The smile that was plastered on her face was so big there isn't words to explain, she stood up and reached over to him to give him a hug. When she pulled away she looked straight to his eyes "how long have you been standing here?" she asked.

"Long enough to hear all the great things you said about me" he told her.

"Nathan I…" she began to say.

"Thank you" he mouthed to her.

Now she was just confused _'did he just say thank you?'_ she asked herself, "for what?"

"For saying those things" he began, "no one has ever stood up for me."

She reached to him and gave him a quick peck on the lips "well, I'm glad to do it."

-------------------

"I'm going to get a drink" Brooke told Lucas, "you want anything?"

Lucas shook his head "no thanks."

"K, I'll be right back."

Once Brooke stepped away from the room and into the kitchen the red head made her way, she knew exactly what the plan was. Get Lucas to dance with her and when Brooke saw them make a move, why ? No body knows not even her; she just loves to be the bad girl.

"Hey" she said stepping in front of him.

"Rachel" Lucas said nodding.

"I see you're all alone" she pointed out, "what do you say we dance?"

"I don't think so, Brooke'll be back soon."

"Oh come on" Rachel said in a seductive voice, "I'm sure she wont mind" she then grabbed his hand and pulled him to the dance floor.

"Isn't this great?"

"Rachel let me go" he said pulling his hand from her grasp.

"Oh come on, it's just a dance I'm sure your girlfriend wont mind."

Haley and Nathan were sitting on the couch right behind Rachel, they could hear all that she was saying and see how uncomfortable Lucas looked. But they didn't do anything. Haley felt that it wasn't right to protect Lucas, and if he liked her sister then he would stop it himself. She then stood up and walked to the kitchen, she really couldn't stand it anymore no one was going to make a fool of her sister.

Just as she was stepping into the kitchen she felt someone grab her writs, "where are you going?" He asked.

She looked at him "where does it look like" she told him with a duh tone.

"Haley, what are you going to do?"

She turned to face him and let out a sigh, "Nathan, I'm not going to let anyone make a fool of my sister. I've been through hell protecting her, and I'm not going to let a bitch like Rachel throw it all away."

He let go her arm, "just make sure she knows that it's Rachel who's flirting and Lucas' is not returning" he told her with a pleading look.

"Fine" she said and walked to the kitchen. When she reached her sister she saw that she was surrounded by boys and giggling, "Brooke!" she yelled.

Brooke turned quickly to see her sister who was really mad, and was not hiding it at all. "Haley" she said.

Haley turned around and walked to the door that led to the back yard, once she reached the double glass doors she opened it and stepped out. She couldn't believe that she was defending Brooke and she was flirting with about five guys, she new Brooke was better then that.

"Haley" Brooke said walking behind her, "what's wrong?"

Haley turned to her sister "what's wrong?" she repeated angry, "what's wrong is that you are in there flirting with five guys when your boyfriend is waiting for you to go back, what's wrong is that I just made a total ass of myself telling Nathan how I would not let anyone step over you" she was yelling at Brooke this time, "oh and the fact that Rachel is in there trying to eat your boyfriend but you where to preoccupied flirting to see it." When she was done she took a breath.

Brooke gave her sister a hurt look "Haley we were just talking."

"Brooke I know you, and that was you flirting" Haley told her, this time her tone was softer. "I guess you should go get your boyfriend away from Rachel. We'll talk at home okay?"

Brooke nodded, stepped closer to her sister and gave her a hug "I love you." She then turned around and went to see what Rachel was trying to do. She walked into the kitchen and saw Rachel talking to the same boys she was just talking to, she walked over to her.

Once she reached her she looked straight in her eyes and slapped her as hard as she could, "stay the hell away from my boyfriend" she said, then she walked to the living room to Lucas.

"Hey you okay?" He asked when he saw her pissed off expression.

She looked at him with a smile "yeah."

"You sure?" he asked her concerned.

"Yeah, I think I'm just ready to go."

"Do you want me to take you home?"

"Can you?" she asked him pleadingly

He looked at with concerned, "I'll go ask Nathan for the keys." He saw her sit on the couch and walked away.

* * *

Nathan and Haley were outside talking, the party inside was on full swing but they had decided to go outside and just talk.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked her.

Haley's head still rested on his should as they sat on the swing chair in the back yard, she was just looking at the sky "about the moon" she responded.

"What about it?" he asked playing with a lose strand of her hair.

Haley let out a big sigh and began talking "when I was little my parents use to go on lots of business trips, that's why Brooke and I went to boarding school" she pulled away so that she could face him, "my mom said that as long as there was a full moon we would always be connected, it was kinda our way of connecting."

Nathan could see that she started to tear up, "Hey" he said brushing a tear of her cheek "you don't have to tell me this if you don't want to."

"But I do" she responded, "See the night before their last trip was a full moon like tonight, so she decided to take me and Brooke out to dinner by the beach. She told us that every time we feel sad or lonely we just need to look at the moon and she would be looking at the same moon" she let out a sob.

He cradle her in his arms and let her cry on his chest, "I'm sure she's looking at the same moon right now" he told her trying to comfort her.

After a few minutes they heard a voice behind them , "Nathan" the voice said.

Nathan turned to see Lucas there, Haley sat up and wiped her tears away still looking the opposite way.

"Yeah?" Nathan asked him.

"Brooke wants to go home, do you think I can borrow your car to take her."

Haley reached in her pocket and threw her keys at him, she then turned to Nathan "do you think you can take me home?" she asked him.

Nathan just nodded and gave her a smile, he then turned back to his brother who was standing by the door just a second ago but was gone now.

Haley rested her head on his shoulder again as they just stared at the moon, while Nathan played with a strand of her hair.

* * *

As he parked the car outside her house he turned to look at her and asked her "Brooke are you sure everything is ok?" She hadn't said a word the whole way home, and that was an odd thing for Brooke.

Brooke turned to face her boyfriend and gave him a smile, "yeah I'm fine" she put her hand on his thigh "I just need to talk to Haley about some stuff, but until I know what she meant I can't tell you."

Lucas thought she was just drunk because what she said made no sense, he let it go and opened the door. Once out of the car he walked to Brooke's side and opened her door, he walked her to the door and once she had opened the door to step in she turned to face him.

"Goodnight" she said, "and thanks for bringing me home."

Lucas smiled then reached over to kiss her, he gave her a quick kiss he didn't want to make it deep since they were standing outside her house. "I'll see ya Monday" he said pulling and handing her the keys to Haley's car.

Brooke pushed his hand away "take it, you can't walk alone in the dark" she then gave him a smile "I'm sure Haley would like you to take it, you can bring it back tomorrow."

Lucas nodded, then reached to her and gave her another kiss before walking away to the car.

Once he saw Brooke walk in the house he put the car on drive, and drove off.

* * *

Back at the party Haley and Nathan were still sitting outside, they talked about the moon and how it was so special to her.

After a minute of two of silence Nathan spoke, "are you ready to go?"

Haley just nodded while she still rested on him.

He stood up and stretched out his hand for her to take, once up he pulled her to his side placing his hand on her hip. They walked in the house and started to make their way through the crowed to the front door.

"Well if it isn't Mr. Basketball star and his nerd of a girlfriend" Rachel pointed out once they reached the front door, "where are you two going?"

Haley was going to answer her but felt Nathan pull her by the wrist, "Rachel just leave us alone" he said.

"Leaving so soon party boy" she said smiling, "come on Nate we all know the party boy you are."

"You're not worth my time" he said, "bye Rachel" he told her grabbing Haley's hand and opening the door.

When they were outside Haley started to look for her keys, she got really nervous as she searched her purse and her pockets. Nathan could see that she was worried about something so he laughed a little, it was funny to him to see her searching for something that wasn't there.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Haley shot her head up to look at him "I can't find my keys."

Nathan laughed a little before answering, this time he couldn't hold it in. "You gave them to Lucas so he could take Brooke home." He could see the relief in her face when he said that, he held her hand again and started walking to his car.

-------

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it" he said, "after all I need to make sure you make it home safe."

Haley gave him a quick smile, then open the door to get out.

Once they reached the front door she gave him a quick kiss and opened the door.

"Goodnight" he said reaching over to kiss her one last time, then he turned and walked over to his car.

Haley walked in the house and locked the door behind her.

* * *

Haley walked in her room and went straight to the closet to get her pajamas, she was so tired she just wanted to get to bed. Once she grabbed her pajamas she walked to the bathroom to change, wash her face, and brush her teeth she didn't even notice that their was someone on her bed.

When she walked back in the room she once again went to the closet to put her dirty laundry in the basket, she then stepped back to the room and saw it. She walked closer to the person on the bed, "Brooke" she said shaking her a little.

Brooke's eyes opened extremely fast, she then sat up and saw her sister standing in front of her.

"Brooke what are you doing here?" Haley asked with concern.

Brooke looked at her "Haley I'm sorry."

Haley sat next to her sister on the bed, "for what?"

"You were right, I was flirting with those boys and Lucas doesn't deserve that" she said with shame in her eyes. "I just can't help it, it's like I every time I see a boy I have to do it."

"I know honey, but you learn from your mistakes" Haley told her rubbing her back.

Brooke looked at her sister once again, "I know, but I already made that mistake with Brian."

Haley looked at her in concern, Brian was Brooke's ex-boyfriend. They had dated for about a year but Brooke was always flirting with other boys, he felt that she was with him just because she didn't want to be alone. After a year of relationship he broke up with her, she was torn and swore not to ever flirt with boys when she was dating again.

"Can I spend the night with you?" Brooke asked her.

Haley just nodded at her sister and pulled the covers so she could get under, once Brooke was in the bed she pulled the covers over her tucking her in like a child. "Goodnight Brookie."

"Goodnight Hales. I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

**Please review guys thanks.**


	10. The Flight

**Hey guys here is another chapter I hope you like it, to my two faithful readers dianehermans and xNOBODYSxHOMEx thans for your comments, xNOBODYSXHOMEX I'll try reveal why they live with their aunt soon. To my two new readers Haley Elizabeth James and Rangersunrider thanks for your comments as well, Rangersunrider the past of the sisters will come piece by piece.**

**Guys I also wanted to say sorry for taking so long to write this new chapter, their was a huge earthquake in Chile this weekend when I was going to write the new chapters. My family all lives there and I was not in the mood of writing until I had talked to all of them.**

**Last chapter: The party was at Rachel's house, Rachel tried to flirt with Lucas. Haley and Nathan had a talk about the moon and how it reminded her of her mother, Haley and Brooke reconnected after the party.**

Chapter 10.

The sisters had just arrived in school; they had walked in school together and went straight to their first class. The day was cloudy, it looked as if was going to rain which was something the girls actually loved until their lives changed. The rain reminded them of sadness and tears, which wasn't always the case.

Haley sat in class remembering when they were younger, they would dance in the rain all the time, something that came from their mother. She once told them the story of her and their father's first dance, the story was one of their favorites.

_Flashback-_

"_Mommy, why don't you tell us a story?" Haley asked her mom as Lydia was tucking her in. _

_Lydia then turned to Brooke's bed to tuck her in. "Yeah, I would really like to hear one" she told her mother._

_Lydia looked at both her daughters, she went to reach for one of the story books the girls had on their shelf._

"_Why don't you tell us one about you and daddy" Haley said, "maybe one about rain, you know we can't sleep when it rains."_

_Lydia nodded to her oldest daughter and went to sit on her bed, she saw Brooke getting out of her bed and jumping in bed with her sister. Both girls where laying on Haley's bed with their mom, this was something Lydia loved. She only wished her husband could also be here to enjoy this moment with her, but his job included him traveling a lot. This time Lydia decided to stay home with her girls._

"_You see when your dad and I met, we knew we were in love" she said looking at her daughters who were giving her their complete attention, "no one believed us but we knew" she let out a sigh at the memories. "After about a year of being married people started getting use to the idea, anyways I'm getting of track here. Back to the rain story. You see about seven years ago I found out something great, probably the best news of my life" she said looking at her daughters._

_Haley smiled at her mom, she knew exactly what the news where._

"_What where the news?" Brooke asked._

_Lydia looked at Brooke "I found out I was pregnant" she said giving Haley a smile, "So the same night I found out I had dinner reservations with your dad, we went to a very romantic restaurant. Anyways, when we were on our way out the restaurant we saw that it was raining. We had to walk to the car, you dad was extremely mad, he hated the rain. On our way to the car I saw mad expression so I wave him a hug and looked in to his eyes, when I was sure he was giving me his full attention I asked him to dance. Your father being the men that he is looked at me weird, but eventually said yes."_

_Lydia smiled as she remember the day as if had happened yesterday, every memory she had with the men she loved was a treasure to her. Specially when he was away from home. "And that is exactly why I let you guys dance in the rain, it's a family thing" she pointed out looking at her daughters. She was so caught up in her story that she didn't notice them falling asleep._

_She got up and cover both the girls, Lydia could have put Brooke in her own bed but she loved knowing that her daughters love each other this much. Just looking at them brought the biggest smile to her face._

_Lydia walked over to the door and flick the lights off, she looked back at her kids "goodnight my little angels" she said and walked out leaving the door semi-open._

_---_

"Hey are you ok?" he asked.

Haley turned to her left and answered "yeah."

Lucas noticed that her face was telling other wise, but still she looked like she didn't want to talk about it. He then looked at her again in concern "you sure?"

She gave him a half quick smile "it's just the trip I have to make tonight with Brooke."

At the sound of her voice and the sentence he thought that something was wrong, he looked at her again "you wanna talk about it?"

"I think you should ask Brooke."

Just as Lucas opened his mouth to ask her something else the bell rang for them to leave to lunch, Lucas stood up and started to walk out the room with Haley.

On their way to the lunch room, Lucas wanted to ask her all about why she was worried about the trip. Haley just looked straight forward, she really didn't feel like talking about this it was something very personal for her.

"Hey you" Brooke said as Lucas and Haley walked over to their table, "where is your food?"

"Actually I was on my way to get it, wanna come?"

Brooke looked at him "I already got mine" she then turned to her sister "but I can always get Haley's."

Haley took a seat "sure."

"Perfect" Brooke said very enthusiastic, "we'll be right back" she said standing up from her seat.

They then turned around and walked to the lunch line.

"Hey gorgeous" Nathan said taking a seat next to his girlfriend, he then turned to see her and saw that she had no food. "Where is your food?" he asked concerned.

Haley had totally spaced out, she didn't hear a word the boy seating next to her had asked. The next thing she saw was a hand being waved in her face, she turned to see who it was and smile at what she saw. It was amazing to her how one person can make her feel so happy when she was feeling so sad.

"You okay?" he asked her.

She placed her hand on his cheek and smiled before answering; Haley saw him smile back but could see that he was confused. "yeah" she said, "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Wanna talk about it?"

She turned to see her sister placing a tray of food in front of her, she then turned to Nathan "maybe after school" she told him before they began eating.

Once they were all seating Lucas began to talk, "so Brooke Haley said that you guys were taking a trip, where are you going?"

Jake answered before his cousin "California" he said in a harsh tone.

Lucas notice the harsh of the tone that Jake had used, "may I ask why?"

"Maybe later" Brooke said.

"We should totally make it a group trip" Nathan said trying to sound exited.

"You guys are acting very mysterious today" Peyton said, she had noticed how Brooke, Haley and Jake had looked at each other at the sound of Lucas' question.

"It's just personal" Brooke told Peyton acting very defensive.

"Brooke I think we should go" Haley said looking at her sister, she then turned to Jake "we'll see you at home." She then turned to Nathan "you can come over after school if you want."

Nathan nodded "I'll be there."

She gave him a smiled then turned to Brooke who was telling Lucas to pick her up after school so that they may talk.

The sisters disposed their trays of food and walked out of the lunch room.

"Where are we going?" Brooke asked her sister, she was very confused. Haley had never acted like this before, she was usually the one who was calm.

"Home, I really don't want to be here anymore."

* * *

They had been home for a while, both the girls were just lying on Brooke's bed looking at the ceiling. It's was that time of year, the time they hated.

"Haley" Brooke said still looking at the ceiling.

"mmm"

"Do you think we should tell them together?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" Haley asked her sister turning to her side, as Brooke did the same so that they can look at each other.

"I mean we tell both Nathan and Lucas together."

"Why?"

"You know I'm not very good at talking about it, and well I think telling the story once is good enough don't you?" Brooke told her sister.

What Brooke said made sense, She wasn't the best at explain the situation and it would save them both the pain if they told them together.

"You're right" Haley said looking at her sister, "let's do it today when they come over."

Brooke nodded and turn back to the ceiling as did her sister.

After a few minutes of silence Haley spoke, "Brooke."

"yeah?"

"Do you remember the rain story?"

"Every time it rains" Brooke answered with a sad tone. "You?"

"Same."

"Haley."

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared" Brooke told her.

"Me too" Haley confessed, she didn't want to scare her younger sister but she was being honest.

"Why?"

"This is the first time we actually have to fly there, we use to just walk. We are getting older and with that comes more responsibility, it scares me that I grew up so quick and I still have a lot of growing up to do."

"I have to grow up all the way, I'm not even half way there" Brooke told her with tears in her eyes. "Haley I don't want to disappoint them."

Haley noticed her sister crying and cradled her, she hated when Brooke cried but they actually had a reason today. Usually Haley was the stronger one, the one that could go through anything but today she just let it all go and cried with her sister.

"I miss them so much" Brooke said between sobs.

"Me too" Haley responded also sobbing.

Both girls just sat in the middle of the bed holding each other as they cried, letting it all out not caring if anyone walked in. They were just releasing all that they had held in.

* * *

"Hey want to ride together?" Nathan asked Lucas as they walked out of school.

"Where?" he asked confused.

"Brooke and Haley's" Nathan said in a duh tone, "remember you were going to pick her up and I was gonna go see Haley."

Lucas realized that he was right "oh" he said, "yeah sure, your car or mine?"

"Mine" Nathan responded.

When they parked outside the house Nathan and Lucas both got out rather quick, they walked over to the front door. How weird was it that two brothers were dating two sisters? No one would ever understand it.

"Hey guys"

"Hey" Lucas said, "Is Brooke here?"

"Yeah" Jake answered, then his expression turn concerned "I don't think their doing so good."

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked walking in the house, at this point he was worried. Haley was acting weird in school, then she left early which she never did.

"I don't know."

"Can we see them?" Lucas asked.

Jake nodded, he knew that keeping them out of the loop would just bring problems to the girls' relationships. "they're in Brooke's room."

Both boys walked up the stairs, they were worried. After all Jake didn't sound to good talking about them, he sounded concerned.

Lucas opened the door real careful not to make any noise, he peaked his head in "Brooke?" he asked in an almost whisper.

"You can come in" she said, at this point she just had tears in her eyes no sob and no extreme crying. The same went for her sister.

Lucas walked in followed by his brother, "are you ok?" he asked walking over to her and giving he a hug. He felt her nodding on his chest, he looked at Haley "what about you?"

"I'm fine" Haley answered, anyone who knew her could tell that she was trying to act strong.

"Hales, you don't need to act strong" Nathan told her as he walked over to her, "come here" he pulled her to a hug.

Haley stepped away once the hug was done, she looked straight into his eyes "we need to talk."

Nathan nodded "do you want to go to your room?" Haley shook her head. "Ok," he said. He then walked over to Brooke's bed and sat on it as Haley did the same.

"Brooke" she called for her sister.

Brooke pulled Lucas to her bed as well.

Both boys sat on the bed completely confused, they knew the girls were acting weird but this was getting extremely uncomfortable.

Haley stood up in front of the boys next to her sister, she put her hands together as she began to speak "remember I told you at school that I would tell you what the problem was later?" she asked and both boys nodded. "Well the trip we have to take is a family thing" she took a deep breath before she continued, "on this date seven years ago our parents passed" a tear started to make it's way down her cheek. "We have to go to California for their death memorial, the company my dad worked for does it every year" she continued, but she could hold her tears.

"In a way the company feels it's their fault, because they sent him on that trip and mom accepted to go as well" Brooke began to speak, she saw that her sister couldn't keep going and decided to take the lead. "That's the reason why we've been so distant , we don't like to think about it much but this year we have a whole plane ride to think about it."

"I think we should come with you" Lucas shot as he got up. Nathan nodded.

"I don't think so" Haley said walking over to Nathan, "besides Jake's coming with us."

"Which is perfect, we could make it a support group trip thing" Nathan told her when she finally reached him.

"I love you for caring" Haley told him as she sat on his lap, "but this is something we need to face as a family."

Nathan understood what she was saying. "Fine" he told her, "but let me at least take you to the airport."

"That's a great idea" Brooke said, "you guys should come."

"Brooke."

"Haley come on, we can introduce them to our lives there." She pointed out to her sister.

Haley got up from Nathan, "I need to pack" she said as she started to walk to her room.

Lucas and Brooke exchanged looks as they saw Nathan walk after her.

"So you really want me to come?" Lucas asked, Brooke nodded. "at what time do you want me to pick you up?"

"The plane leaves at nine, so come at around eight."

"Ok" he told her and gave her a kiss, once he pulled away he looked at her "I'll see you in a little bit."

Brooke nodded, she then saw her boyfriend walk out of her room. She turned around and walked to her closet to get her over night bag, she put it on the bed and walked back to the closet to get her clothes for the weekend.

* * *

"Do you not want me to go with you?" Nathan asked a little hurt.

Haley saw that he was hurt, she felt so guilty for making him feel like that. She shook her head as a tear went down her cheek, "I do."

"But" he said walking over to give her a hug. Once he had her in his arms he made circles on her back, he could feel her loosing up a little.

"But, I didn't think you would want to go" she said still in his arms. "Nathan this isn't a pleasure trip, I can't guarantee you that we'll do anything fun."

"Hey" Nathan told her putting his hands on her shoulder and making her look straight into his eyes, "as long as I have you I'm happy."

She gave him a half smile, "really?"

"Yeah, come here"

He pulled her to another hug and began talking to her, "at what time does the plane leave?"

"Nine"

"Ok, I'll pick you up and take you to the airport." He said in a demanding voice.

Haley pulled away from him, "you're not coming?" she asked him, you could see the fear in her eyes.

"Of course I am, I'll pick you up so we can go together."

"Ok" she said giving him a peck, "now I better pack."

Nathan walked out the door and to his car, he drove home and began packing as well. A few months ago he would've never thought that he would fly out of state just for a girl, but this girl meant something to him. He hated seen her hurt and crying, but he loved the way she smiled when everything turned out ok.

* * *

"Guys we need to go this way" Lucas pointed out to the national flights section.

"No it's this way" Haley told him.

"Haley, it says national flights" he told her pointing to the sig.

"I know" Haley said, "but we have to go to the private flights" she pointed to the sign.

"What!?" Nathan asked.

"The company sent the private plane for us" Haley said walking over to her boyfriend, "now move it, maybe the plane will take off sooner since we are the only passengers."

* * *

The plane was like being in a living room more then a plane, their was couches and a table. They still had a flight attendant who walked out as soon as the seat belt light turned off.

Haley sat next to Nathan, as Brooke sat between Haley and Lucas and Jake next to Lucas.

The flight attendant walked over to them "may I get you something to drink?" she asked very politely.

"Coke" Nathan said raising his hand.

"I'll have a coke too" Lucas said.

"Same here" Jake told the lady.

She then turned to Haley, "what about you…. Oh my gosh!" she said shocked.

Haley was confused at the lady's reaction, it wasn't like she was a superstar or anything.

"You are so big" the lady pointed out, she then turned to Brooke "and so are you, Oh my god I can't believe this."

At this point everyone on the plane was confused.

"I'm sorry do we know you?" Haley asked politely.

"Yes" the lady said, "I'm Lisa, Lisa James."

"I'm sorry I don't know anyone with that name" Haley told her with a _sorry_ expression. "But we have the same last name."

"I understand, let me explain it to you" the Lady which you could say was a girl she was probably about twenty five or six sat between the girls. "You see your dad" she said pointing to both girls, "is also my dad."

"What!?" Brooke yelled, "that's not possible we're his only kids" Brooke told her pointing to Haley and herself.

"No honey, dad was married before Lydia and he had two kids. Me and my brother Robert, but I get it that you don't know us or remember us. We visited a couple of times when you were little, but when mom got full custody of us she wouldn't let us visit dad."

Haley looked at Brooke who was completely hurt, they had a whole other life they had never heard about. Their father had never taken the time to talk to them and explain everything, how could this be happening to them? How could this happen today? Why was it happening to them?

Brooke started to cry, she couldn't hold her tears any longer. She felt Lucas grabbing her and pulling her to a bear hug, she could believe what she was hearing.

The rest of the teens were shocked, Nathan looked over at Haley who didn't even blink. He could see that she was hurt but could express it.

Lisa stood up from where she was sitting, she looked at the girls. She felt horrible for dumping this on them, but they were her little sisters, she had waited so long to see them again. "I'm sorry for dumping this on you" she apologized, "I was just really exited, I haven't seen dad in years and when I saw you… you look just like your mom."

Haley looked at her and gave her a half smile, "can I ask you something?"

Lisa nodded "yeah go ahead."

"Are you going today?"

Liza was confused now, she just met the girls and Haley was asking her if she was going. If she was going where? This totally made no since, "where?"

"To the memorial" Brooke said in a mean tone.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about" she confessed.

"Well" Haley said taking a breath, "dad use to work for this company years ago, and every year at the anniversary of his death they do a ceremony in his and mom's memory" she said unable to hold the tears.

Lisa was shocked, no one had told her that her father died. "What?" she asked hurt, "he's dead."

"Lisa, I'm so sorry I thought you knew" Haley started to explain, "I...I…I"

"It's not your fault" Lisa said cutting Haley off, "do you mind if I come with you?"

"No" Haley said quickly.

"Thanks."

By the plane had landed Haley and Lisa had talked a lot about their father, Brooke on the other hand didn't say a word. Brooke hated to fact that she had to share her dad, he was hers; hers and Haley's. now she had to share her memories with a stranger that just happened to have the same last name, she was not going to tell her anything.

* * *

**Ok so there is the next chapter, I know I left of at a totally random please but next chapter will be updated sooner because I already know what I'm going to write about. Next chapter will be the ceremony and also the girls and the guys having some fun at the beach.**

**The whole idea for Lisa came to me from personal experience, no that I have a sister I never knew but my dad does have two kids from his previous marriage who never really contacted my sister and I or my little brothers. Also the reaction Brooke has is the same reaction my younger sister has towards my half sister, my sister felt that when my half-sister came back to the picture she was trying to take our dad away as for me I just enjoyed the time.**

**Thanks for reading and please review. – thanks a ton-**


	11. Ceremony

**Ok so from now on I'm going to try and put the notes at the bottom so you can start reading the chapter as soon as possible:], but I will put the thanks up here. Thanks for the comments on the last chapter, I felt like finishing so here it is.**

Last chapter-

-Haley had a flashback about her mother and rain.

-Haley and Brooke told both Nathan and Lucas about the ceremony for their parents.

-Lucas and Nathan decided to join the girls and Jake on their trip to California.

-The girls met Lisa; the older half sister, with the same father. Haley gave her a chance while Brooke didn't want to talk to her.

**Chapter 11-**

"Wow" Said Lucas as they stepped into the suite.

The company had gotten the girls a suite for their stay, the ceremony would be on Sunday morning. Both girls walked in and put their stuff down, not that they were caring a lot.

"So how are we going to do this?" Jake asked walking in last.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked confused, he didn't really understand what Jake was talking about.

"The sleeping arrangements" Jake said eye Lucas, then he turned his gaze to Nathan and to the girls "I mean you don't expect me to let you share a bed with my cousins do you?" Everyone looked at each other.

"How about I share a bed with Brooke" Haley said.

Nathan stepped up to speak, "okay so the suite has two rooms and well the living room" he said pointing to the couch. "I think you two should take a room and Jake can the other one, and we" he pointed to himself and Lucas "will take the couches."

"No" Haley said, "Jake can sleep with us, you two can take the other room."

"What?" Lucas asked a little bit too loud.

"Don't worry, we've slept in the same bed before" Jake told Lucas. "I mean we are cousins after all."

Everyone laughed.

"Ok I'm really tired so I'm gonna check in early, but we should do something tomorrow" Brooke said.

"I'm with you" Haley said following her sister.

With in minutes everyone was in their rooms sleeping, the flight had tired them all specially Haley and Brooke after learning about Lisa.

* * *

"Brooke come on, we're going to be late" Haley shouted to he sister who was still in the room.

Brooke walked out of the room holding a shoe, "I found it" she said holding it up.

"Okay now we can go" Haley said looking at the rest , she walked to the door and the rest followed.

"So where are we going?" Brooke asked when they were outside the hotel.

"It's a surprise" she said linking her arm with her sister's.

After walking for a about 20 minutes Brooke knew exactly where they were going, she had walked that street before, she knew that street. After all it wasn't that long ago that she had walked there, she turned to her right and say it. There it was a big building with a big door and a huge bell at the top, the place where she had practically grown up. She turned to her sister and gave her a hug, only Haley would know to take her there.

"Why did we stop?" Lucas asked, he really didn't understand . I mean it was a building nothing special.

Jake turned to Lucas, "this is the school where they lived" he said pointing to the girls.

"Really?" Nathan asked, and saw both Haley and Brooke nod.

"Come on" Haley said walking up the steps to the big door.

"Haley what are you doing?" Brooke asked.

Haley looked back and saw that no one had followed her, it was a good thing it was only about seven steps. "Come on" she called them with her hand, "I told sister Ruth we would visit her next time we were in town."

Brooke started to run up the stairs and the rest followed, when they reached the top Brooke gave her sister one more hug. She was so exited to see her old friends and her old teachers, it had been near eight months since they had moved to Tree Hill that summer.

Haley press the button that called the office, and got a response soon "St. Domenico's school how may I help you" the voice said.

Haley smiled a little before answering, she knew who it was and she was very exited to see her . "Sister Elizabeth it's me Haley" she giggled a little, "do you think we could go in to say hi to sister Ruth? We promised her we would visit her."

"May I have your last name please?" the woman on the other side said.

"James" Brooke answered before her sister could say anything.

"Oh my" the lady said, "girls please come in, I'll buzz you."

Once the door open they girls walked in, they were so exited to visit their old friends and teacher. Once inside Brooke went over to Lucas and linked her arm with his, as Haley walked between Nathan and Jake but holding Nathan's hand. After all it was and all girls school and boys would be big news, and most of the girls had met Jake before.

"Haley?" a nun walking towards the girls, "Brooke?" the woman was shocked. When she reached the girls she gave them both a very tight hug, it had been near eight months since she last saw them.

"Sister Ruth" Brooke said.

"Oh my girls" she said pulling away from them, "how are you?"

"Good, thank you" Haley answered politely.

"Oh my girls" the nun said once more, this was the woman who had been there for them since their parents' death. She was the one to talk to them, the one who was there when they were sick, she was their second mother.

"We missed you" Brooke said with a tear on he cheek.

"Oh honey don't cry" sister Ruth said wiping the tear from Brooke's cheek. "Come here" she pulled her to another hug.

Nathan saw that Haley was just as affected as her sister, and he pulled her to a side hug and just held her. He knew that she wouldn't make her sister step aside just so she could hug the woman, so he just held her.

Once the lady pulled away Brooke walked over to Lucas who was waiting with open arms to give her a hug.

"What are you doing here girls?"

"Sister Ruth it's January 3" Haley told the woman.

"Oh yes, I know exactly what your doing here" she said looking at the girls, "you are more then welcome to stay here, but I don't think sister Elizabeth would let you" she said pointing to the boys.

Brooke let out a laugh, "it's okay" she told the nun "we have a hotel suite." The nun raised her eye brown and put her hand on her chest, Brooke once a gain laughed at the woman's expression "with two bedroom" she finished.

"Sister Ruth" Haley asked, "do you think we could go visit the girls and show this guys our old dorm room?"

The nun raised her eye brow suspiciously, "just show them, you know us" Haley told her.

"Fine" the woman said giving them a warm smile, "you know the way."The girls both nodded at the nun, then they held the boys' hands and turned to a building in the far back.

Once they reached the building Brooke knocked on a door and waited for a response, when she heard someone ask who it was she opened the door and pocked her head in. The girl inside turned to see who it was, when she saw Brooke's head she was so surprised she jumped out of her bed and ran to the door.

"Brooke what are you doing here?" she screamed exited as she jumped to her friend and gave her a hug.

Still in the girls arms Brooke managed to answer "visiting you silly."

"O wow" she said pulling away from Brooke, "is Haley with you?" she asked confused that the other sister wasn't insight.

"What do you think" Haley asked walking in the door.

"AAAAAhhh" the girls screamed, "you guys are here, this is so cool. We have to go see Jill" the girls said extremely exited.

"Who's Jill?" Nathan asked to the boys outside.

"Brooke's BFF" Jake answered.

"Jake?" the girls asked and ran to him and gave him a hug as well, "it's so good to see you."

"You too Alice, it's been a while."

"To long I would say, you use to visit all the time" Alice said walking back to her friends.

"That was when Haley and Brooke lived here, I don't really have a reason now since they live with me" Jake said.

"You can always visit me" Alice said, she then saw the boys standing behind him. "And who are your friends?" she asked with a smirk.

"This my dear friend is Nathan and Lucas" Haley said walking over to the boys, "Nathan" she said facing him "this is my best friend Alice" she pointed to Alice. "Alice, this is my boyfriend Nathan, and his brother Lucas" she said pointing to Lucas.

"Don't tell me you're dating Brooke" Alice said looking at Lucas.

"He is" Brooke said walking over to him.

"Wow you two waste no time, I guess I'll take Jake for today" she told them walking over to Jake and linking her arm with his.

"Now can we please go see Jill" Brooke begged.

"Fine" Alice said, "let's go."

When they reached the next building which was behind the one where Alice lived they stopped, Alice let go of Jake and walked over to the door.

She opened the door and walked straight in, "JILL" she yelled.

"WHAT?"

"COME DOWN HERE" she instructed.

"BE DOWN IN A MINUTE" Jill yelled back.

Everyone was waiting outside the door, Alice told them to do so because she wanted Jill to be surprised as well. After a few minutes the girls could be heard walking down the stairs.

"What is it?" she said brushing her hair, apparently she was just done with a shower but she was dressed.

"Okay close your eyes" Alice instructed.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it."

"Fine" Jill said doing just what she had been instructed.

Brooke and Haley both stepped right in front of her as quiet as they could but the girl heard them, "Who's here Alice?"

"Okay open them" Alice said.

"AAAHHH" Jill screamed walking over to her friends and hugging them both at the same time as she continued to scream. When she pulled away she Grabbed Brooke and gave her another hug, then to Haley.

"Surprise" Brooke screamed.

"Oh my this is a surprised, I've missed you" she said giving Brooke one more hug.

"Oh I see" Haley said in a joking hurt tone.

"I missed you too Hales" Jill said, "but not as much as this one" she said pointing to Jill.

"Aww" Haley said walking over to her friend, then she turned back to Jill "so what do you guys say if we go out today" she suggested.

"Haley you know sister Elizabeth wont let us" Jill said.

"Oh come on we're only here for the weekend" Brooke told them.

"It's worth a try" Haley said, "come one" she grabbed Nathan's hand and started walking to Sister Elizabeth's office.

The rest of the kids stayed in Jill's dorm.

"Where are we going?" Nathan asked confused as she was still pulling him.

Haley kept walking "to ask if they can go out with us."

"Haley you know they need their parent's permission."

"No they don't" she said stopping to look at him, "like us they don't have parents" Haley told him, then grabbed his hand and started walking again. When she reached the office she took a deep breath and opened the door, she was so nervous she forgot to knock.

"Haley" the woman said standing up from her chair.

"Sister Elizabeth" Haley said letting go of Nathan's hand and walking over to the woman to give her a hug.

"How are you?"

"I'm good thanks for asking."

"So Haley I know that if you're here by yourself it means the girls want something, Sister Ruth told me she let you two go see your friends."

Haley walked closer to the woman "Sister Elizabeth" she said, she was so nervous and didn't know why she had done this before millions of times. "I was wondering if the maybe the girls could go out with us today" she let out, when the woman didn't answer she began to speak again "I promise they'll be back by curfew and that there will be no kissing."

The woman looked at Nathan then to Haley, "and who is your friend" she said eyeing him.

"This is Nathan" Haley said walking over to him.

"And Nathan there will be no kissing" she asked.

"No" Nathan answered kind of scared.

"Ok, you can take the girls out" the nun said.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you " Haley said hugging the woman, "I promise they will be back by nine."

"Ok then I'll see you later" the nun said.

Haley gave her a nod and walked out of the office, when they were out of sight she grabbed his hand and started to walk back to the building.

-------

Back in Jill's dorm everyone was laughing.

"So Brooke you never introduced this hottie here" Jill said pointing to Lucas, she already knew Jake.

"Actually his taken" Alice cut in, "and she is the other one if you didn't noticed." Everyone laughed at Alice's comment.

"How long have you been dating?" Jill asked.

"Three months" Lucas answered.

"Whipped" Jake said.

Brooke slapped Jake on the shoulder and turned to Lucas, "you know how long we've been going out" she said with an awe expression.

"Of course I know" he said grabbing her chin, "you're my pretty girl" he leaned and gave her a quick kiss.

"And who's the other one?" Jill asked.

"Well Jill" Lucas began, "the other one as you call him is my brother, Nathan" he said.

"What about me?" Nathan said walking into the room.

"Just telling the girls here that you're taken" Lucas answered his brother.

"Oh" Nathan said.

"So?" Brooked asked looking at Haley and Nathan who were standing on the door.

"So what?" Haley asked.

"Haley don't play dumb with me" Brooke said, "what did she say?"

"What do you think?"

"Yes" Brooke said hesitating.

"Yeah" Haley yelled giving Alice a hug.

"I can't believe this" Alice said, "let's go I don't want to waste any time."

They all made their way out the school and went to spend their day together.

* * *

"So why are we in a mall? I mean don't get me wrong I know Brooke loves it here, but I still don't get it" Lucas said holding on to his girlfriends hand.

"Well new friend" Jill said turning to Lucas, "This" she pointed to a store "is where your girlfriend use to work."

"really?"

"Yes" Haley said, "we use to work here everyday, I got the nuns to let us work."

"Which you totally don't need to do" Alice said.

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked.

"Alice"

"No Haley he should know."

"What exactly should I know Alice?" Nathan asked.

They were all standing outside the store, Alice of course stepped in front of everyone to speak.

"You see Nathan your girlfriend here doesn't really need to work, I mean the school was paid for until they graduated."

"So they shouldn't work because their school was paid for" he pointed out with a little of an attitude.

"No silly" she giggled, "both Haley and Brooke have trust funds, which are huge."

"And you know this how?" Lucas asked Alice.

"Oh we all know that, they were like super rich" Jill intruded.

"Guys" Brooke said, if there was something she hated was when people talked about them.

"We were" Haley said, "and as for the trust fund we can't touch until we turn eighteen."

"Which is what next week" Jill said.

"What?!" Nathan asked.

"Yeah Haley's birthday is next week" Alice said.

"Can we just go" Haley said.

"Yeah, I'm a little hungry" Brooke told them.

"Okay then let's eat" Jake said.

They all began walking to the food court, Jake was leading them he really did understand how his cousins felt talking about the way they use to be before their parents passed. When they reached the food court they took a table where all seven fit, Alice sat next to Haley who was next to Nathan, on the other side was Jake across from Alice, next to him was Jill then Brooke then Lucas.

"How bout we go and let the girls sit here" Jake said getting up, Nathan and Lucas both nodded and stood up as well.

"What do you want?"Jake asked.

"I'll have a sandwich" Brooke said, "with an ice tea."

"I'll have a combo six from McDonalds with a coke" Alice told him.

"Same for me" Jill told him.

"I'll have a sandwich with ice tea too" Haley said.

"Okay then" Jake said with a smile "we'll be right back." He turned to get the food as the other boys followed him.

"So what's new with two?" Jill asked.

Brooke looked at her "well we go to public school, it's so much fun."

"I bet you have boys" Jill said, she was always the boy crazy.

"Of course their is boys, it a public school"

The girls sat there talking about their experience in public school, Brooke told them everything from the cheer squad to her friendships with Peyton and Mouth and even Rachel. It had been so long since they had seen each other that they had tons to talk about, they talked about how they got together with Nathan and Lucas.

* * *

The girls spent all day together, they went to the park then to the beach. They didn't want to go to a places over the top after all they just wanted to hang out with their friends. They needed lots of catching up to do, they were best friend but with the distance they hardly ever spoke. The boys also just stayed there , after all they did go to support both the girls they needed them at this moment. After years of just going to the meeting not that far this time they had to travel across the country to be there, which was something hard on both girls.

"I can't believe the day is over" Alice said with her arm still linked to her best friend.

"Alice I'll come visit you again" Haley said in awe, letting go of her friends arm and bringing her to a hug.

Brooke did the same with Jill then they switched, Brooke hugged Alice and Haley hugged Jill. Once done they pulled away with tears in their eyes, it would probably be a while for them to see each other again.

"Okay" Haley said wiping a tear, "we're not going to cry, we'll be back and make sure you visit us."

The girls just nodded, the boys just stare at them they didn't want to ruin the moment.

"Okay, we'll see you soon" Alice said, "and don't forget to write me."

"I'm going to miss you girls" Brooke said, she then gave both girls a hug.

the girls all hugged and gave each other hugs once more before Haley and Brooke turned to leave and the girls walked back in the school.

* * *

They all got to the hotel and went straight to bed, both Scott boys went to their room and the three cousins went to theirs.

"Haley."

"Yeah."

"Do you think she'll show tomorrow?" Brooke asked, she was worried about tomorrow.

Haley turned to face her sister who was sleeping in the middle of the king size bed, "I don't know. why?"

"I" Brooke started then broke off, "I just don't like that you talked to her."

"Brooke" Haley said shocked, "she didn't even know about dad, and I was just trying to be nice ans supportive."

"Yeah but what about me? did you think about how I felt when you were talking to her?" she asked a little hurt.

"Brooke you know that you'll never bee number two, you're the most important person in my life and if that hurt you I am really sorry. But if she decides to go tomorrow we should make her feel welcome, I know I shouldn't ask you this but it would be really good if you could." when she got no answer she continued "for dad."

Brooke thought about it for a minute, she hated when Haley used dad against her. Haley knew that she would do anything for him, anything that Haley wanted to be done she would say 'for dad'. "fine" she said, "goodnight."

"I love you, and thank you."

"I love you to, now go to sleep" Brooke said.

"What about me?" Jake said.

"We love you too Jake" both girls said at the same time.

* * *

It was the next morning and everyone was up in the hotel suite, they were all wearing black and were ready to leave the hotel to go to the ceremony. It would be an early ceremony which the girl were grateful for, at least Haley was she didn't want to miss school.

When they all arrived at the church the front row was reserved for them, after all they were the family. Little did they expect Lisa to show up but she did, she was sitting in the front row with some boy who looked to be a little older then her. Brooke, her sister, and the boys walked towards them and took at seat, the ceremony would be starting soon and they didn't want to miss it or disturb anyone.

The priest began the ceremony and after about an hour of speak a few of the co-workers started to make speeches about them too, both Haley an Brooke were crying like every year. When everyone was done talking about them a men called both girls up, he expected them to say a few words about their parents.

Both girls walked up to the podium and began speaking, Haley was first because she knew that Brooke wouldn't be able to do so. "I would like to say thank you for coming ans showing your support, a few years ago my sister and I lost our parents. I know that this people were your friends and co-workers and maybe even ex relationships." everyone laughed a little, "but we tell you about our pain every year, we tell you how we have changed and how our lives have been since. But today I would like someone else to speak to you, I know that my sister won't like this but I believe is the write thing to do."

"She's right" Broke cut in, "we found out on our plane ride that our father had other children form his previous marriage, I know that I wasn't the nicest person to you when we met but I think that you should come and say a few words" She looked at Lisa, "Lisa."

Lisa stood up and started walking towards her half sisters, when she reached them she gave each one a hug an whispered in Brooke's ear "I know what you mean."

"Hello" she said looking at all the people in the church, "I'm Elisa James, you probably don't know who I am but I am Jimmy James daughters" she heard the people begging to gasp and talk, "you see my father had a previous marriage, we use to visit him all the time but when my mother found out that he had married again she forbid us from seen him. I did recognize Haley on her plane ride her and she invited me , thank you" she said to Haley then turned back to the people. "You see I didn't know that my father had passed, I hadn't heard from him in years, and I really did love him" she began to cry, "and I really hate that it had to come to this" her crying got heavier, "I'm sorry...I...I can't finish but thank you." Lisa stepped down and went back to take her seat.

Once the ceremony was over, they all walked outside it was now about four o'clock in the after noon and they had a plane to catch.

"Lisa" Haley said walking over to her with Brooke linked to her.

Lisa turned to see both girls walking over to her, she was very surprised to see Brooke. Yeah she had apologized but it didn't mean that she was still going to accept her, as for Haley she knew that she was trying.

"We wanted to say good bye" Haley said.

"Oh"

"Yeah we have a plane to catch, we need to be back in school tomorrow."

"Well it was really nice to see you again, even if you don't remember me" Lisa said, she then then grabbed the guy that had been sitting with her "this is Robert."

Both girls were shocked, they had just learned that they had a half sister and brothre, but now he was standing in front of them. He looked just like their father it was weird that they hadn't realized it before, the boy had been sitting a few seats away from them and they never connected the dots.

"It's nice to meet you" Brooke said stretching her hand in front of her, her sister did the same. "I'm Brooke, and this is my sister Haley" she pointed to each of them as the name was called.

"It's nice to see you both again" Robert told them, "I know you don't remember us" he pointed to him and Lisa "But we remember you, well the baby versions of you" he chuckled a little. "I know that you have to go now, but I would really like to see you girls again. Maybe next time you come we can meet, maybe you can even stay with us if you like."

"That would be nice" Haley said, "Lisa has my number and e-mail, I'm sure we can maintain contact like that."

"I hate to break the family moment, but we really need to go" Jake said clapping his hands together.

"Oh yeah" Brooke pointed out, "we really have to get going."

Lisa stepped up and hugged both her sister, "why don't we take you to the airport" she said realizing that they could take them, after all they didn't have a car and needed to to get there soon.

"That would be great" Lucas said pulling Brooke to a side hug, she gave him a little glare.

"Ok then, Rob go get the car we'll wait here."

Robert did as he was told, walking to the back of the church and walking straight to the car. It was a good a thing he had a big SUV or else they would not all fit in the car, he got in the car and drove it to the front and waited for everyone to get in the car. They all drove to the airport and said their good byes before Haley and Brooke had to leave, it was a short meeting they had but after all they did share the same father and they felt the love. For some it would take longer to let the new kids in but for others it would be just fine.

* * *

**Please review I know it's not the best chapter ever but the computer was being really stupid, and I was pre-ocuppied watching a telethon for Chile which was awesome. Thanks for all your reviews they mean a ton, and if you there is something you want me to add to the story just tell me.**

**take care..**


	12. Would you go with me?

**Thanks for all the comments on the last chapter guys, and here is the new chapter I hope you enjoy it.**

Last Chapter-

-Brooke, Haley, Lucas, Jake, and Nathan all arrived at the hotel suite.

-The girls visited their old friends, and the woman who basically raised them ; sister Ruth.

-The ceremony in Brooke and Haley's parents honor was held, and Lisa spoke.

-We met Robert James' the older half-brothers.

-Oh, and we also found out that the girls have a huge trust funds waiting for them when they turn eighteen.

**Chapter 12-**

"Brooke get up" Haley yelled entering her sister's room, "we're going to be late."

The girls had arrived late the night before from their flight from California, the flight was delayed because of the weather in North Carolina. The storm was so big that the power had been shut down, and their was no flight going out or coming in so they were stuck until it passed.

The plane took of from California at around ten at night, so let's just say that no one really wanted to go to school the next day. Which wasn't really an option in Brooke's side of the woods, Haley would make her go no matter what.

"Ugh" Brooke groaned.

"Come on up , up, up" Haley said clapping her hands every time she said _up_.

"Fine" she answered frustrated.

"Your clothes is laying on the bed so you don't take too long figuring out what to wear" Haley told her sister fixing her hair on the mirror, "now go take a shower and I'll wait downstairs, aunt Becky made breakfast." Haley saw her sister just sitting on her bed, "up" she said clapping one more time.

Brooke got up and walk to the bathroom to take a shower, she hated waking up early. But having a sister that had everything ready for you was great, all she had to do was shower do her make up and hair and she would be ready to go.

* * *

Becky was placing the place mats on the table when Haley walked into the kitchen, she thought it was kind of weird that Haley was ready to go.

"Do you need help?" Haley asked her aunt who was carrying plates.

"Yeah, would you get the cups please" Haley nodded and walked over to get the cups, "you're up early, I didn't expect any of you to want to go to school today" Becky said.

Haley walked over to the table with four cups and began placing them, "well you know me aunt Becky, always ready to learn."

"Just like your father" Becky said walking back to the kitchen.

Haley loved it when they compared her to any of her parents, it was like they were still with them when people said things like that. Yeah sure they were gone, but who cares as long as she and her sister felt that they were with them it was enough.

"It's okay to miss them Haley."

"I know" Haley said a tad bit sad, "I just wish they were still here."

"I know honey" Becky said walking over to her niece and giving her a hug.

* * *

"Wow, it smells delicious" Brooke said walking in the kitchen.

Becky walked over to her and also gave her a hug, now the only person missing was Jake. Her little boy who hated waking up early, especially if he went to bed late the night before.

Brooke took a seat and pour herself a glass of orange juice, "what's for breakfast?"

"Pancakes, scramble eggs and bacon, and orange juice" Becky answered her niece's question.

"Umm, mom's famous early morning breakfast" Jake said walking into the kitchen, he gave his mom a hug and sat across from Brooke.

While Haley sat across from Becky, they all began to serve their plates.

Breakfast was great, they all talked about their trip. Even though Becky was a very strict person at times she always understood when they needed to go, she hated that she had missed so many years of both girls' lives.

* * *

"Good morning seniors" the homeroom teacher Miss Smith said, "I can see that some of you didn't get a good night sleep so I'm not going to ask" she said looking over at Jake, Haley and Brooke.

Since their last names all started with 'JA' they got the same homeroom.

"Now let's get to this morning's announcements" Miss Smith said picking up a paper, "on Friday their will be a basketball game against the East Bladen Eagles, there is also a team breakfast for the basketball team. There will be a Valentines day dance on Saturday February 13, and" she said going through the paper to see what else there was. "Oh yeah, the school play auditions are on Wednesday."

The classed just sat there and waited for the bell to ring, they really could care less what the announcements were. But there was that team breakfast which sound kind of important, other then that Brooke, Haley, and Jake didn't really care.

* * *

"So how'd you sleep?" he asked from behind.

It was Chemistry and Haley sat right in front of him, since when the year began she got the second to last seat on the third row. About a month or so ago Nathan had transferred into her class, and since they did such a good job on that project Mr. Jacobson had no problem with him being in that class period.

"How did I sleep or how long did I sleep?" she asked him turning around.

"both."

"Well let's see, I got home extremely late so I didn't sleep much. But I sleep like a baby, I really did miss my bed" Haley said.

"Good to know" Nathan said nodding.

When Haley saw him nod she turned around, she really didn't want the teacher to be mad at them.

"…and the symbol for copper is?"Mr. Jacobson asked.

For the passed week they had been learning the periodic table, Mr. Jacobson thought it was a very good thing to know. Especially if you were in a chemistry class, in which you pretty much everything revolves around the periodic table.

"Mr. Scott?"

"Yeah" Nathan asked confused, he obviously didn't know the answer he wasn't even paying attention.

"The answer is…" the teacher said waving his hand as to have Nathan say the words.

"Can you repeat the question" Nathan told him.

Mr. Jacobson was running out of patience with Nathan, every time he asked him something he wasn't paying attention, he knew that to Nathan it might not be important to learn any of this but he was in his class therefore he should pay attention.

"Perhaps your friend Miss James can tell you" Mr. Jacobson said knowing that if he wasn't paying attention she wouldn't be either.

Haley nodded, it was a good thing that she learned to multitask. It was something she learned from being in a class with her sister, who would constantly talk. She turned around to face him and began to speak "what is the symbol for copper?"

Nathan gave her a pleading look.

'_CU'_ she mouthed to him, of course making sure the teacher didn't see her.

"CU" Nathan said skeptically, he didn't want to sound like he knew the answer because that would obviously make Mr. Jacobson suspicious.

"Correct."

Mr. Jacobson continued the lesson, and for the rest of the class everyone was paying attention. Everyone in the class was now well aware that Mr. Jacobson always knew who wasn't paying attention.

* * *

"And why does he refer to us by our last names" Haley said, "it's so weird."

Nathan laughed along with her, "I know right."

"What's so funny" Mouth asked taking a seat across from them.

Haley looked at Nathan who turned to look at her and they began laughing again.

Mouth was extremely confused, sometimes he really didn't know why he sat with this people.

"Hey Mouth" Brooke said walking over to him and seating next to him, "what's with them" she said pointing to both Haley and Nathan.

"I don't know, I asked them and they started laughing" Mouth answered her.

"I'm guessing they have their own inside joke" Lucas said, as Haley and Nathan continued laughing.

"Hey" Brooke said to reaching over and giving him a kiss, "I missed you today."

"I missed you too pretty girl."

Nathan turned to his brother, which he had not realized was there along with Jake, Skills, and Peyton. He was so busy laughing that he didn't even noticed they were there. "Where were you this morning?"

"Helping my mom at the Café" Lucas responded.

"Is that why you didn't pick her up this morning?" Haley asked Lucas, and he just nodded taking a bite of pizza.

"So big game this Friday"

"Tim what are you doing here?" Nathan asked a little annoyed, he had enough of Tim in homeroom.

"Just wanted to have some lunch with my tutor" he said walking over to Haley and sitting between her and Nathan.

"Umm… Okay" Haley said confused, yeah she tutored him and they talked a little. But they never established a friendship, they usually talked about school not their personal lives.

"So what's up?" Tim said.

"Nothing" Haley answered him.

Brooke knew her sister was to polite to kick him out, so she told him of "Dim go bug someone else."

"OK, but first I just wanted to ask you something" he turned to Haley.

"Yeah."

"Are you going with anyone to the Valentine's day dance?" he asked hopeful.

"Well… I…" she began to speak.

"Sorry Tim she's going with me" Nathan said cutting her off, he was going to ask her but didn't have the chance yet.

"She is" Tim asked a little confused, "did you even ask her."

"Yeah last period" Haley said.

"Oh" Tim said, "well it was worth a shot." He then stood up and left them to talk.

"Did you really?" Brooke asked.

Nathan shook his head "no, but I was." He turned to face her and asked, "do you want to go with me?"

Haley nodded, then reached to him and gave him a quick kiss "I'd love to."

"Aww that is so cute, to bad no one's asked me yet" Brooke said trying to hint at Lucas.

"Really?" he asked her sarcastically, and saw Brooke give him a glare.

"Brooke what about that guy in homeroom, Josh something" Jake said trying to help his cousin.

"You're right, I should just say yes to him" she looked over at Lucas who was still not giving up, "I think I'll go right now." She started to stand up, but before she was fully up she felt a hand grab her wrist.

"Brooke, will you go to the Valentine's day dance with me?" he asked.

Brooke pretended to think about it by placing her finger on her chin, after all he did make her get up to make him say it. "Okay" she finally said, she then took her seat again.

"What no kiss" Lucas asked, the rest of the table laughed at him. But Brooke didn't give it up anyways.

"Who are you taking Mouth?" Brooke asked.

"I don't know, their really is no one I like that much" Mouth responded.

"What about you Skills?" Lucas asked.

"I don know dawg" skills answered.

"Why don't you take Bevin, she's a really sweet girl" Peyton cut in the conversation.

"Yeah" Jake said, Peyton nodded. "Who are you going with?" he asked

"No one yet" she said.

"Why don't you go with Jake" Haley asked.

"Umm, I don't … I…-"

"Yeah that would be awesome, then we can all go together" Brooke Jumped at the excitement of them all going together.

"Do you want to go together" Jake asked a little nervous at the outcome of the situation.

"Yeah" Peyton said, "that would be awesome."

"Ok then it's set, this is going to be so cool" Brooke said clapping her hands. "Now all we need is a date for skills and Mouth."

* * *

It was now the end of the school day, and Brooke couldn't be any happier. She didn't sleep very well the night before, but as for this day she would have to say it was great. She woke up and her sister had everything ready for her, and in school she got her boyfriend to ask her to go to the Valentine's dance with her.

"Hey" Lucas said pulling his girlfriend to a hug, when he released her he looked into her eyes. "So I was thinking. Since I didn't pick you up this morning would you like me to take you home after practice."

"That would be great" She said pulling him closer and kissing him passionately, the kiss was so intimate they had forgotten that they were in the gym where the basketball team and the cheer squad would soon appear for practice.

"Get a room" A girl said walking passed them.

Brooke quickly pulled away recognizing the voice, she hated Rachel like she had never hated anyone before. The girl had such an attitude when things didn't go her way, Brooke never understood that.

Lucas looked at his girlfriend who had steam coming out of her ears "let's go."

Brooke to his hand and began walking towards the middle of the court.

* * *

Haley was in her room trying to find her other shoe, she hated when Brooke borrows her things and doesn't put them back where they belong. She ran to Brooke's room and into her closet to see if she could find it there, after looking for about five minutes in the closet she found it. Haley ran back to her room put the shoe on and walked over to her mirror, once she was at the mirror she put her hair in a ponytail it was the only way to wear it.

She walked over to her side table and got her phone, Haley looked at the screen and notice she had one missed call from Nathan. Haley dialed his number and called him back, the phone rang three times before he picked up.

"Hello" Nathan said

"Hey did you call?" Haley said fixing her hair.

"yeah, are you ready" Nathan asked her.

"Yeah."

"Ok, I'll be there in five minutes."

"Ok, bye" Haley said, she then hung up the phone and walked down the stairs to get a cup of water or orange juice. Whatever she found first, she really didn't mind either.

When her phone vibrated signaling that she had a message she knew exactly who it was, she looked at it and began to read it _"hey i'm outside"_ it said. She got up and started to walk towards the door, she then walked outside and saw him waiting by the door.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yeah" she answered, she turned to close the door then she turned to face him again.

This was a routine they had began to have, every morning Monday – Saturday he would pick her up and they would go running. Haley was use to it, but she had never done it with another person. It felt good to know that when you reached a destiny you could talk to someone before running back, not that she minded doing it alone she loved the peace and quiet she got from it.

They ran for about thirty minutes, when they reached the beach they walked over to the water and sat on the sand with their feet touching the water.

"Sorry" Nathan said.

Haley was confused "about what?"

"Yesterday"

"What about it?"

"The way I acted with Tim" he said a little embarrassed.

"Nathan you have nothing to be sorry about" Haley said turning to face him, "Tim knew about us."

"Yeah, but I still shouldn't have acted like that."

Haley gave him a kiss then pulled apart, "I though it was kinda hot."

"Yeah" he said giving her another kiss.

"Yeah" she said kissing him once more, at this point Haley was laying on top of him as they kissed. "Jealous you is kinda hot" she admitted.

Nathan pulled away from the kiss she had just began, "I wasn't jealous" he pointed out.

"Nathan it's ok, I like jealous you" she said and gave him a peck.

"Haley I wasn't jealous, it's just that Tim know we're together" he said. Haley was still on him " I just thought he would expect that we would go together" he said a little embarrassed at what he had just said. For not carrying about anyone before he sure cared about this girl, she changed him in ways that scared him.

"So you're not the jealous type of guy?" she questioned him, Nathan just shook his head.

He reached to give her a kiss but she got up before he could get to her lips, "where are you going?" he asked.

"To prove that you are the jealous type" she said jogging to a guy playing with a dog and a ball. She knew that Nathan was the jealous type, but she also knew that he would never admit it.

Nathan just sat on the sand as she jogged over to the guy, he knew he was jealous but he would never admit it.

"Hey" Haley said when she reached the boy playing with the dog.

"Hey" he said throwing the ball one more time.

"Cute dog" Haley pointed out, "what's it's name?"

"Jumper" he answered, he then stretched his hand to her "I'm Sean."

"Haley" she told him shaking his hand.

"So is that your boyfriend you were making out with?" Sean asked not pointing to Nathan but looking at her.

"Yeah" Haley said a little ashamed of talking to this boy about the situation, she felt extremely bad for using him to make Nathan jealous "I was just trying to prove to him that he is the jealous type."

"Nice" Sean said, Jumper reached over to him and Sean threw the ball once more.

"I'm sorry, this is so wrong" she admitted, "I can't believe I thought about it."

"It's ok" he said, "I know Nathan."

Haley shot her head at him, she didn't know the boy knew him "how do you know him?"

"We go to school together" Sean answered, "and you my friend are actually in my homeroom."

"Really?" Haley had never taken the time to learn people in her class, especially if she had her sister in that class.

"yeah" he said chuckling at her confused face, "Sean Janssen, you're Haley James right?"

Haley nodded "yeah."

"Well Haley James if you really want to make Nathan jealous you're going to try a little harder."

"What do you mean?"

"Well" he said leaning down to her, "I'll whisper to you and you laugh, he doesn't really know what we're talking about so he'll think I'm flirting with you" he whispered to her. Haley nodded as he continued, "I've seen you with your sister, you're Jake's cousin right" he kept whispering and Haley kept laughing and giggling.

Nathan couldn't really hear what they were saying or at least what he was saying, he could definitely hear Haley laughing and giggling at whatever it was he was saying. He saw Sean pull back up and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, that was it Nathan was Jealous he didn't want to be but he was. Watching this guy touch her was boiling his blood, making steam come out of his ears. What was happening to him, before he could have cared less if a guy was flirting with his girlfriends.

There was too much thinking not enough doing, Nathan was just sitting there watching them together.

"He's just about to crack" Sean said to Haley who was now standing in front of him.

Jumper jumped on Haley and she began to pet him, Sean bent down with her to pet jumper too. After all two people playing with a dog always meant something, he didn't think Nathan would crack at all but he saw him stand up.

Nathan stood up and began walking to them with so much anger for this poor boy who was only trying to help Haley out, he didn't know what was going on but he had enough of the little situation.

"He's coming" Sean said, "don't look up. Just play with jumper."Haley did as she was order.

Haley heard Nathan foot steps right next to her, when she though he was close enough she began to talk "I can't believe we have homeroom together" she said surprised.

"yeah I know" Sean followed along, "I guess we are meant to become friends" he said feeling Nathan's eyes on him "or more."

Haley giggled, the she heard Nathan clearing his throat. She looked up at him and could see he was mad, more then that he was disappointed. She stood up quickly and was followed by Sean, Haley looked at Nathan who was way beyond pissed.

"Nathan" Sean said trying to break the ice.

"Sean"

"You two know each other?" Haley asked, she knew the answer but it was still something she wanted to say.

"Yeah" Nathan said, "Sean's on the football team."

"Really?" Haley asked turning to face Sean and he nodded.

"I though he would have told you, since you two flirted for so long" Nathan pointed out expressionless.

"Nathan I-" Haley began but was cut of by Nathan.

"You ready to go?"

Haley nodded, and Nathan grabbed her hand and started walking.

Haley turned to face Sean and mouthed _'thank you.'_

'_You're welcome' _Sean mouthed back.

They kept walking until they reached the sidewalk, then Nathan turned to face her. "Do you like him?"

Haley was shocked at the questioned, but more then that she was hurt that he would ask her that. The randomness of the question did catch her of guard "where that come from?"

"Haley it's a simple question" Nathan said looking at her.

"What? Nathan no" she told him taking a closer to him, "I don't like him, I was just trying to show you that you do get jealous" she said calmly.

"Are you sure?"

"Nathan" she said placing her hand on his chest, "I'm sure, I like you, I want you, I love you." When she realized what she had said she couldn't take it back, she looked over to him and saw that he was shocked. The shocked expression soon turned to a smirk, and she relaxed at his new expression.

"You do?" Nathan asked shocked again and saw Haley nod, "Haley I…"

Haley put her finger on his lip so that he couldn't say anymore, "Nathan I don't want you to just say it, I want you to feel it."

"I do" he said playing with her loose strand of hair, "I love you."

"Really?" she said with tears in her eyes.

"yeah" he nodded, then leaned down and kissed her.

This kiss was by far the best kiss they had experienced so far, Nathan kissed her with such passion that it made shivers go down her spine. She had never felt that way before, it was something you could explain. The heat , the lust, the passion, the love they were feeling at the moment was unbelievable.

Nathan could feel her hands playing with his hair as she kissed him, the kiss was so deep and passionate he never wanted to pull apart. He never felt this when kissing other girls, and he had kissed many girls before. This was a good kind of different, the kind you want to repeat and stay with you forever. He didn't know what would happen next but he knew as long as he had her with him it would be okay, no matter what the battle was he could face it with her by his side.

* * *

There was a knock at the door and Becky walked over to answer it, when she reached the door she opened it an saw Lucas standing there.

"Good morning Mrs. Jagielski is Brooke ready" he said politely.

"No she's not ready yet" she said "would you like to come in and wait for her?"she asked, Lucas nodded and she open the door further for him to walk in.

Lucas walked to the living room and sat on the couch waiting for her, he had never really been in Jake's house before just the one time he picked Brooke up to go to tric.

Becky came back to the living room "would you like some breakfast Lucas?"

"No thank you, I was actually going to go to breakfast with Brooke" he responded politely.

"Oh" she said, "well you might not have time, she woke up late today because Haley took a little longer with her run this morning."

"What does Haley have to do with it?"

"Well when she comes back form her morning run, she wakes Brooke. And well since she took longer today Brooke woke up late, which is not a good thing for Brooke."

Lucas chuckled a little then answered the woman "then I would love some breakfast."

"Ok then" she said "Follow me" she began to walk towards the kitchen.

After about fifteen minutes Brooke came running down the stairs and into the kitchen, "aunt Becky has Lucas called, or stopped ? what are you doing here?" she question, "and why didn't anyone tell me he was here?" she said pointing to Lucas.

"Good morning to you too Brooke" Haley said to her sister who was obviously confused.

"Morning Hales" she said sarcastically, "oh and thanks for being late this morning" she pointed out and everyone began to laugh.

"So I guess breakfast tomorrow" Lucas said, "thanks to Haley" he looked over to Haley with an annoyed expression.

"Hey, it's not my fault" Haley protested, "I was trying to prove a point" she smirked to Nathan.

"What kind of point?" Jake asked concerned.

"A none of your business point" Haley said looking at her cousin.

"So you where with her this morning" Brooke said giving Nathan a look, he just nodded.

"What were you guys doing?" Lucas asked.

"Running" Haley answered

"To where Canada?" Brooke said, she hated that Haley took so long that morning. It was and important morning, she would have gone out to breakfast with Lucas.

"What's it to you?" Nathan said with a little attitude, he was a little sick of everyone questioning them.

"rrwrww" Brooke said trying to imitate a cat.

"Brooke just drop it" Haley said, Knowing her sister this was not going in a good direction.

"Fine" she said turning over to Jake, "so Jake, you taking Peyton to the team breakfast?"

Jake raised his shoulders, "I don't know."

"Come on you two are totally hots for each other" Brooke said.

It was a good thing that Becky had to go run some errands or she would hear all of this conversations, teenagers didn't measure themselves.

"Well if Sean was a basketball player I would so go with him" Haley said giving Nathan a smirk.

"Who's Sean?" Brooke asked not getting what her sister was talking about.

"A guy Haley met at the beach today" Nathan answered before Haley could.

"Really I think we need to talk tonight missy" Brooke said.

"I think we better go" Jake said looking at the clock on the wall.

"Yeah" Haley said getting up.

They all walked outside together.

"Want a ride?" Lucas asked Brooke and she nodded.

"I'll see you two at school" Jake said looking at his cousins, he gave them a hug and walked over to his car.

Brooke walked with Lucas to his car, the turned and yelled to her sister "I'll see you in school sissy."

Haley waved her hand at her sister, and began to walk to her car.

"Ride with me?" Nathan asked her, Haley nodded and walked with him to the car.

* * *

**ok so there it is I really hope you like it, I added some Brucas and some Naley for ****dianehermans**** I promise more Brucas next chapter because we will have their breakfast date, but plans might change for them. I would also like to thank the rest of my faithful readers and commenters ****xNOBODYSxHOMEx****, ****Haley_Elizabeth_James **** thanks you for your comments. And also a thank you to ****Balye3**** a new reader I added some Brooke for you and next episode we will have lots more of Brooke and Lucas.**

**Thank you guys and please review this chapter.**


	13. Bday Girl

Last Chapter-

-The girls returned to School.

-The announcement about the Valentine's day dance came up during homeroom.

-Tim tried asking Haley to the dance but Nathan interrupted jealous of the situation.

-Brooke got Lucas to ask her to the dance.

-The girls managed to get Jake and Peyton to go together.

-Haley tried to prove that Nathan is the jealous type by flirting with a guy from the football team; Sean Janssen.

-Brooke was mad at her sister for not coming home on time to wake her up from her run.

-The Scott boys, Jake, and the sisters all had breakfast at Jake's house.

**Chapter 13-**

It had been a couple of days since that day they all had breakfast, not very long but still some days had gone by. The basketball team's breakfast would be today, Friday February 12.

To Brooke this day was special for a whole other reason, yeah the breakfast was important to. She would be going with Lucas, who was on the team and also happened to be her boyfriend. But to her the day was important in a whole other way, it mark a special time for her sister.

She was up and walking by six in the morning, for she knew that her sister would actually take a break today, it was a special day and she would not go running. Brooke walked to her sister's room and saw that she was still sleeping, she quietly walked up to her and straddled her sister by putting one leg on each side of her sister sitting on her stomach.

"Good morning sunshine" Haley let out when she saw her sister sitting on her.

Brooke gave her sister a smile "you know what day it is right?" she questioned knowing the answered.

Haley decided to play dumb "Friday?" she said questioning it.

"Haley" Brooke said a little disappointed that her sister was acting this way.

"What?" she let out a giggle.

"Fine then I guess you get nothing" Brooke said getting of her sister and of the bed.

"Wait" Haley said sitting up.

"Yes?" Brooke questioned turning to see her sister, she was halfway out the door when she spoke.

"I know what day it is, I just don't like to think about it."

Brooke walked back to her sister "Haley it's an important day, and you my dear sister" she said pointing to Haley, "are going to have a blast" she stood up . "Now get dress, the boys will be here soon for that breakfast thing."

Haley smiled at her sister, she loved that Brooke cared so much. She also hoped that she wouldn't tell anyone what today was, Haley always wanted to keep it on the D.L.

When Brooke walked out of her room, Haley got up and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower for her day to begin.

* * *

It was around seven thirty in the morning when Haley heard a honk outside the house; she stepped closer to the window to peek outside. What she saw was a boy leaning on his car waiting for his girlfriend, she smiled when she saw her sister ran up to the tall blond boy and catch their lips in a very passionate kiss. She loved to see her sister happy, it was a feeling she wouldn't want to give back for anything. Brooke was her everything, she was all Haley had left from her parents, other then the money they left. Haley was also extremely shocked that Brooke was leaving to school so soon, she was usually the one that was eager to get to school on time.

Today Haley had planned on taking the day off, no tutoring or morning run. She called a girl named Jessica who she tutored on Friday mornings to inform her that she would not be tutoring on Friday, she also had called Nathan to tell him that she would no go running that morning. When he had asked her why, she simply brushed it of and told him that she had a paper to write for school.

Haley kept looking out the window until she saw the car drive off, she loved to see her sister so happy. She turned to her room and began getting ready to leave herself, after all knowing Brooke she would have a long day ahead of her.

* * *

"So where to?" Lucas asked his girlfriend who was in the passenger seat next to him, even when talking to her he never took his eyes of the road.

"Anywhere we can get balloons" she said, her voice sounded ecstatic.

"Why do you need balloons?" he asked confused, his girlfriend sure had a way to confuse him.

Brooke realized that she never told him, well they had never told anyone. The only people to know where the ones who lived in the house with them, she turned to him and placed a hand on his "it's Haley's birthday today."

"What?!" Lucas yelled a little, he was shocked he didn't know. Well no one had ever told him.

"Yep" she said nodding her head, "she doesn't really like to talk about it, you know since it's so close to our parent's death anniversary."

Lucas nodded his head in understanding what she was explaining, he then realized something "when it's your birthday?" he asked. They had been going out for months now and he had never asked, he never realized this until now.

"April twelfth" she answered, "yours?"

"Mine already passed, but I'll make sure to tell you a few weeks in advanced."

Brooke nodded knowing that he wasn't going to tell her, she then turned to look out the window thinking about her sister's face when she opens her present.

* * *

Brooke was with Lucas at school decorating her sister's locker, she taped balloons to it, and stuck letter letters spelling _'happy b-day sisssy'_. Lucas on the other hand was on the phone, still standing next to her.

"Dude Brooke said eight ten" Lucas said angrily to the phone.

"Lucas chill" Nathan answered, "I'm here, besides the breakfast is at nine."

Lucas hated when Nathan didn't do as told, "Nate you know that Brooke wanted this to be perfect, besides you should be on your way to the breakfast if you want to be on time."

"K, will be there soon" Nathan said hanging up the phone.

"Is he there?" Brooke asked walking closer to her boyfriend.

Lucas nodded, "Yeah he just got there, they'll be on their way soon."

"Well then, we better go" Brooke announced grabbing her boyfriend's hand and dragging him outside to the car.

* * *

Nathan knocked on the door of his girlfriend's house, he really didn't get why Brooke was so worked up today. Waiting patiently he heard someone open the door, he then saw the sandy blond hair boy standing on the other side.

"I'm guessing you're here for Haley" Jake said letting Nathan walk in the house, "she's in her room" Jake pointed out.

Nathan walked up the stairs towards her room, usually he wouldn't just walk to her room. But Jake's parents were gone for the weekend, so he didn't really mind. He walked into her room to see her looking in the mirror putting on some earrings.

Haley saw him in the reflection of the mirror "hey" she said turning around to face him, "so what do you think?"

Nathan looked her up and down, she looked gorgeous. Her dress was a soft lavender color, strapless that went down to her thigh. The dress was tight at the breast getting just a little loose as it went down, she was also wearing a pair of brown high heals.

"Wow" Nathan said, pretty much speechless.

"Do you like it?" she asked nervous and shy.

Nathan just stood there staring at her, he love it. But he couldn't find the words to say, there was no words.

"I'll take that as a no" she said when she heard nothing from him.

"No" Nathan said, he saw her shocked face at his word. "I mean yes, I like it" he took a breath, "you look beautiful."

"Thank you" she said, she stated walking up to him "you look great too" she said giving him a quick peck.

"We should go" he said, "Brooke's going to kill me if we don't get there on time."

Haley giggled at his words, she thought that she was the only one who Brooke managed to boss around. She walked over to her desk and grabbed her purse, she also grabbed her back pack and her cheer bag in where she had put an extra change of clothe.

Nathan took her cheer bag and backpack and started to walk down the stairs, when they were by the car he placed them in the trunk and walked to the front.

Haley was sitting in the front seat when Nathan stepped in the driver seat, he started the car and looked at her. He was more shocked by what was out her window, he put the window down "you okay?" he asked.

Haley looked behind her to see who Nathan was talking to, she saw her cousin dressed in a suit leaning on the window.

"Do you think I could get a ride with you guys?" Jake asked, "my car wont start."

Nathan simply nodded and waited for his friend to get in the back seat, once he was in the car he put the car on drive and pulled out of the curb.

* * *

"Wow" Lucas said when he saw his girlfriend walk out of the bathroom at the school. They didn't have time for her to go back home to change so she bought a dress while they were at the mall getting the decorations for her sister's locker.

"You like it" she said.

"I love it" Lucas said giving her a quick peck.

"Good" she nod.

Lucas was still staring at her, the dress did not look that good on the mannequin. Brooke could sure pull off that color, she looked great. Her dress was a one shoulder red dress, it was tight showing all her curves. The length was just as long as her sister's was, to her to her thigh, and like her sister she wore high heals but Black. Her hair was down and straight, parted to the side.

"Stop staring and start moving" she said braking him out of his thoughts.

He brought his girlfriend closer to him holding by the hip, and pulling her closer to him and they walked out of the school. They had to get to the events center soon, they only had about ten minutes to get there.

* * *

Everyone was from the team and most of the cheerleaders were at the breakfast, the only people missing were Brooke and Lucas. Haley still looking for her sister walked around the room with her boyfriend, she looked to the door once more and saw her walk in.

Brooke walked to her sister and gave her a hug, as Haley returned it.

"What took you so long?" Haley asked her sister, "and where that dress come from?"

Brooke looked at her sister knowing what she was thinking, Haley always worried that her sister wasted unnecessary money. "Relax it was on sale, and I had to get it. If I didn't I wouldn't of made it on time here."

"Where were you?"

Brooke pulled out a tiny box from her purse, "getting this" she said handing her sister the box.

Both boys just standing there, while everyone else around just talked. The breakfast would be starting in ten minutes and they would have to sit and listen to the boring speeches.

Haley opened the box that was handed to her, "Brooke I love it" she said holding a the little charm. It was an airplane.

"It's so you never forget your first plane ride to California, well after living in Tree Hill" she pointed out.

"I love it" Haley whispered to her sister, she then handed it back to Brooke so she could put it on her bracelet.

"Will everyone please take their seats please" a voice said to the microphone, everyone did as told and took their seats.

Once everyone was seated and quiet the waiter and waitresses began to bring the breakfast, they place the plates in front of each of the guessed then poured them a glass of orange juice.

"This looks of the hook" Tim said already digging in his plate.

"Tim please eat like an adult and not a five year old" Nathan said.

The oval plates had pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and bacon, a typical American breakfast.

"Be nice" Haley told Nathan in an almost whisper.

"Where is your date?" Nathan asked looking at Tim.

"Don't have one" he answered eating his bacon.

"Why?" Brooke asked, "no one wanted you." Everyone laughed at her point.

"I was going to ask someone, but she's taken" Tim said giving Haley a look, which Nathan notice.

"Don't even think about" Nathan said pointing his fork to him.

"What about you Jake?" Brooke asked.

"Well would usually ask one of my cousins to come with me, but they got dates before I even got to ask" he said taking a sip of juice.

"Jake you know I would've cancelled my plans for you anytime" Brooke said.

"Hey" Lucas said realizing what his girlfriend had said, receiving a chuckle form everyone at the table.

"Skills what about you?" Haley asked.

"Nah, no date" he simply answered, "besides I know how much you James girls hate the one I was gonna ask" he pointed out.

"Oh yeah, Who?" Brooke asked, intrigued at his answered.

"Rachel" he simply answered.

"What?!" both girls yelled.

"Are you serious?" Haley asked, and he simply nodded.

"Why?" Brooke asked.

"She's hot" was all he said.

Everyone laughed at his comment; you had to admit it was funny. After they had finished talking about dates and stuff they all sat and eat their breakfast, every now and then they would speak but nothing big.

Once everyone was done with their breakfast Principal Turner stepped to the stage to begin talking, everyone quiet down so he could speak. "Now I know you guys hate this breakfast meeting" he said, "but I have to tell you that this is an important one so please put all your cell phones away." He watched as everyone put their phones away "as you all know the season has just began and our team is doing great, even though there has only been two games both games have been won. The new I'm about to tell you boys might not be very pleasant but it's something we have decided you need to know. Now coach Whitey will speak and deliver the news." Principal Turner stepped away from the podium and sat on one of the chairs behind it.

Whitey walked up to the podium and looked at all the boy sitting there, boys he had grown to love, boys who had practically become he's own sons, boys that had become men. "Well like Principal Turner said we have big news for this year's team, and some of you might not like them" he took a deep breath, "as you all know I have coached for this team for over twenty years, and I love this team. This team has been my family and I love every single game they play, I love watching you boys smile when you when, and I love when you encourage each other to do better. But this year is the last of it, this year will be the last year I coach this team. I know I said that I would coach this team until we won a state championship but I believe that this is that team, the team that will take us to the top. I hope you boys respect this decision and accept it, thank you" Whitey stepped back and took a seat.

"Okay, you may now return to school" Principal turner said. "Classes will begin at ten, it is now nine forty five" he said looking at his watch, "you have fifteen minutes to get to school."

Everyone stood up and began walking out of the room, and walking over to their cars to get back to school.

* * *

After such big news they were all shocked, the boys were speechless. This man had been such an impact in their lives, he was the reason they loved the game even more then normal.

Arriving at school no one changed, both girls still wearing their party dresses and the boys wearing suits. The news shocked everyone but there was two people who were really hurting because of it; Lucas and Nathan, this man was the reason why they had become so close in the first place. He was the father they really didn't have, since Dan was an ass and treated Nathan like crap and never really recognized Lucas as his son.

"Thanks Brookie" Haley told her sister on their way to homeroom, "I know you really wanted to make a big deal of it, but plans change."

"Haley, you have nothing to feel bad about. Except that your birthday is going to suck with a sad boyfriend, but you always got me."

* * *

It was lunch time and Haley, Brooke, and Mouth were sitting on the usual table with Skills, Junk, and Fergie, they had become really good friends over the past couple of months. After all they were all friends with Jake so no matter what the girls would have to see them, something that wasn't so bad.

Fergie and Junk were also on the team but they weren't starters, they were usually benched.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you two how good you look today" Skills said to both girls.

"Yeah" mouth added.

Junk and Fergie just nodded.

"Thanks" Haley said, "we didn't get a chance to change with the whole Whitey thing."

"Yeah I know what you mean" Skills said, "he was a huge part of Nathan and Lucas' lives."

"yeah he was the one that helped them to become brothers" Mouth said.

"I remember when they wouldn't even talk" Fergie jumped in.

"Or when Nathan got the team to kidnap Lucas" Mouth said.

"Was he really that bad?" Haley asked a little worried.

"Yeah" Junk said not thinking about it twice, "he did what he wanted with who he wanted."

"Who?" Nathan asked walking behind them, he walked over to Haley and sat between her and Brooke.

"No one" Haley answered, knowing that he wouldn't drop it she kissed him to distract him.

"So where is Jake?" Brooke asked, she really needed him to arrive soon. Before lunch she had sent him Lucas and Nathan to pick up a cake she had order for Haley, they were going to give it to her during lunch.

As if by cue Jake and Lucas walked to the table placing a box in the middle of the table, Lucas uncovered it and place a candle in the center. The candle was one of those that had a switch and worked with batteries, he couldn't bring fire into school so that would have to do.

When Lucas turned the candle on they all began to sing happy birthday, _'happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Haley, happy birthday to you'_.

Haley was blushing, everyone in the lunchroom was staring. She hated attention but what her friends had done was so sweet, that she pretended to blow the candle.

"Happy birthday Hales" Jake said giving his cousin a hug, "you get your present tonight."

After everyone had congratulated her and gave her a hug they sat and finished their lunch, Brooke made the announcement that her other present would be home tonight.

"So everyone comes over tonight at about eight, well that's when the party begins" Brooke said making sure everyone on the table heard.

They all sat there eating cake laughing and just having a good time, today had started bad but it was getting better by the minute.

* * *

"Haley it's seven thirty get your ass down here" Brooke yelled up the stairs.

After school both girls went to cheer practice as the boys had their basketball practice, which was a total pain. The girls could see that all the boys on the team were wanting to ask Whitey why but none did, they just did as told and finished practice then went home.

Brooke had changed from her cheer sweats and tank top to jeans and a t-shirt, the party would be just a couple of friends and she didn't really need to dress up.

"I don't know what the hell is taking her so long" Brooke said angrily to her boyfriend who was laying on the couch.

* * *

"You really need to go" she said giggling a little, "I have to change."

"Then change, I don't mind a peek show" Nathan said.

"Nathan, really get off I really need to change" Haley said to her boyfriend who was laying on her on her bed.

"Come on" he said kissing her.

Pulling his face up with her palms she began to speak again, "did you not hear Brooke, it's seven thirty."

"It's" he said kissing her neck, "your" and again he kissed her neck, "birthday" after that he just reached her mouth and kissed her very passionately.

"I know" she said pulling away, he began placing butterfly kisses on her neck and up her jaw "but she's really exited" Haley could hardly get the words out of her mouth.

"Fine" he groaned then kissed her once more before getting off, he then started to walk to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"You said I need to go" Nathan responded confused.

"You can stay here, I'll change in the closet" she said walking to the closet.

A few minutes later she walked out wearing skinny jeans and a black tank top shirt, Nathan just jumped of the bed when he saw her.

"What are you looking at?" she asked shyly.

"You."

"Come on you goof" she said walking over to the bed and grabbing his hand, but he pulled her down to him landing on top of him. "We need to go."

"I know" he said kissing her one more time, but he deepened the kiss and she responded. They were so lost in their kiss that they had completely forgotten about Brooke, who was waiting downstairs.

"Haley James get your ass…of Nathan right now" Brooke said storming into her sister's room.

Haley jumped of Nathan and looked at hers sister who was smiling, "do you ever knock?" she asked almost yelling. Nathan just smirked from the bed.

"No" she responded, "you know that, now get your ass downstairs your surprise is almost here."

"Really?" Nathan asked looking at his watch.

"You know about it?" Haley asked looking at him.

He just nodded and began to get up, "and you're gonna love it" he said kissing her.

"God no PDA" Brooke said.

"Let's go" Haley said holding his hand and walking downstairs where a few people had arrived.

Amongst the people who had a arrived was Peyton, Fergie, and Junk, she walked up to them and thanked them for coming giving them a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

The doorbell rang and Haley went to open it, Brooke right behind her. Brooke was dying to see her sister's expression when her surprise got there, but instead she saw two boys waiting outside.

"Ugh it's you" Brooke said walking back to the living room where the rest were.

"What's with her?" Mouth asked walking in the house.

"I don't know" Haley said giving him a kiss on the cheek, then doing the same to skills. Once she closed the door the bell rang again, Haley opened it and saw Tim.

Brooke was running to the door, and to say she wasn't pleased with what she saw was an understatement "It's Dim" she yelled walking back to the living room once more.

Time draped his arm around Haley over her shoulder as they walked to the living room, when they reached and she stopped he looked at her "so do you want your present now or later?" Tim asked.

Haley gave him a small smile "I think we better wait." She then stepped away from him and went to sit next to Nathan, "so what are we waiting for?"

"Haley don't be so impatient" Brooke told her sister.

"Me, Impatient" she raised her eye brow, "may I remind you that you run after me every time the doorbell rings."

"Shut up" Brooke responded.

"Can you tell me what it is that you can't wait for?"

"Haley she told you it's a surprise" Nathan said.

"Fine" Haley simply said.

"Fine" Brooke said to Haley.

"Fine" Nathan repeated.

"Fine" Lucas was next.

"Fine" Peyton felt like she needed to jump on the train.

"Fine" Jake said.

"Fine" Mouth said.

"Fine" Junk, Fergie and Skills all said at the same time.

"What's fine?" Tim asked. Everyone laughed at his comment, they were just making fun of Haley but Tim never got any sort of joke.

After a few minutes of them just sitting in the living room Brooke walked in with cups and beer, she loved to play games and this was the perfect opportunity for one. They were all just sitting around, everyone involved in their own conversations. Brooke just wanted everyone to interact, at least while they waited.

"What are you doing?" Haley asked her sister, Haley was currently sitting on a couch sideways with her legs draped over Nathan's lap.

"What does it look like I'm doing" She asked placing the cups and beer on the coffee table.

"Brooke are we gonna play I never?" Tim asked jumping from his spot on the couch to Brooke's side.

"No Dim" she simply said, Brooke then stood up to explain what they would be doing. "Okay so I was thinking we should play a little game of truth or dare, but" she paused for dramatic affect, "you may wimp out, if you do so you must take a drink" she finished raising her cup, "are you all in?" When she saw that they had nodded she continued speaking "ok then,let's begin."

"Fergie" Brooke said looking at him, "truth or dare"

"Truth"

"How many times a week do you masturbate?"

Everyone chuckled a little, where did Brooke get this question?

"A week?" Fergie asked worried, "I don't know...five."Fergie saw them all laughing at his answer, he didn't want to fell dumb so he joined the gang."Okay, you had your laugh not it's my turn" Fergie looked around and stopped at his goofy looking friend "Mouth, truth or dare?"

"Dare" Mouth answered extremely confident.

"Let Peyton put lipstick on any body part she wants."

"What?!" Peyton asked.

"You know the rules P. Sawyer, you wimp you drink" Brooke said from her spot next to her boyfriend.

Peyton stood up and grabbed a lipstick from the table, she walked over to mouth"you ready Mouth?" he simply nodded. "Okay" she said opening it, once she opened it she began spreading it. Peyton wasn't the mean type so she simply put lipstick on his lips, she knew that they would say she was boring and stuff but she wasn't going to embarrass Mouth just because.

"Okay I choose now" Mouth said with red luscious lips, "Skills, truth or dare?"

"Dare dawg, you know I ain't tellin no true" Skills said.

"Fine, go to the bathroom and make yourself a toilet paper diaper to wear for the next ten minutes."

"Man, I ain't no baby."

"Okay you wimp you drink" Brooke said handing him a cup. Skills chucked it down, Brooke looked at him then turned to Lucas "since he didn't follow through I'll do the next one, Lucas truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"What's the furthest you've gone in a public place?"

"Where do yo get this questions?" Haley asked.

"Just kissing" Lucas admitted, Brooke just nodded. "Jake truth or dare?"

"Dare"

"I dare you to tell us your true feeling towards Peyton."

"I like her" Jake said bluntly,"is that what you wanted me to say?"

"Jake it's just a game" Brooke said, she could see that her cousin was getting mad. "Now why don't you ask the next question."

"Brooke, truth or dare?" Jake asked.

"Truth."

"Do you ever go out with no underwear? and if so how often?"

"Jake!"Haley yelled, this way was getting way out of control. I mean cousins where asking each other inappropriate questions, this couldn't go any longer.

"Haley I can answer that, it's actually really easy" she said shifting her eyes from her sister to her cousin, "never, I was raised better then to be such a dirty person."

"Junk, truth or dare?" Brooke asked.

"Dare."

"I dare you to give Nathan a peck" Brooke said smiling devilish.

"What?! NO" Junk said, he grabbed the cup and took a drink. He would have rather be a wimp, he would never kiss one of his guy friends especially knowing that they would make fun of him later on.

"Then I get to ask again, Nathan..."

"Dare" he said not letting Brooke finished.

"Okay, Loose three articles of clothing" she said smiling "and shoes and socks don't count."

Nathan stood up and began doing it, he first took off his sweatshirt, followed by his shirt and pants. He was now sitting on the couch once again but only wearing shoes and boxers, everyone laughed a little at him for he was the only one to loose clothing.

"Okay" Nathan said.

He didn't even get to finish when the doorbell rang, Brooke jumped of the couch reached for her sister and pulled her to the door. Both girls were at the door now ready to open it, but Brooke had to make sure she looked good so she checked herself in the mirror by the entrance.

Haley reached for the door knob and when she opened it she was shocked, the two people she had recently seen were standing outside her door. How could this be, this had to be one of her best birthdays.

"Surprise" they yelled standing at the door.

"Oh my god" Haley said pulling them both to a hug, "when did you get here? How? I... I-" Haley had no words to explain how exited she was.

"Brooke planned it all" Alice said, she was so happy to see her friend again. The best thing was that she would get to stay the whole weekend, and she would stay with her best friend.

"Brooke how?"

"I know how much you wanted this so, I told Nathan about it and he talked to Lucas. Together we all chipped in and here we are with your great surprise" she said opening both hands towards the girls standing outside.

"Haley, don't you think it would be nice to let them in" Nathan pointed out standing fully clothed behind her.

"Yeah come in, come in" she said waiving her hand for them to do so.

They walked back to the living room where everyone was still sitting down, no one kept playing after the girls had left for the door.

As they walked in Haley walked in front "Everyone this is my best friend Alice, and this is Jill" Haley said pointing to both girls. "Girls this is Mouth, Peyton,Tim, Junk, and Fergie, you already know Nathan, Lucas, and Jake" she said pointing to each of them as she called their names.

"It's nice to meet you all" Alice said politely, "so what are you guys up to?"

"Well we were waiting for you" Brooke said, her arm linked with Jill, "I think Haley should open her presents, because it's getting late and we have cheer tomorrow morning. Plus it's the valentine's day dance, we need our beauty sleep" Brooke said.

"Yeah, I was suppose to be home by eleven thirty" Peyton said looking at her watch, "my dad is home and he likes to spend time together when he's here."

"Ok then let's open them" Brooke said. "You already open mine at school so lets go with someone else" she looked around the room, "Mouth you can be first."

"Okay" Mouth grabbed a box from behind the couch and handed it to Haley, "Happy birthday Haley."

"Thank you Mouth" she said, she started to open the box. When she opened it she found a beautiful purple silk shirt, she pulled it up to show the rest of the people "thanks Mouth I love it" she then put it back in the box.

Peyton walked up and handed her an envelope "Happy birthday girl."

'thanks' Haley mouth then she opened the envelope, she pulled out two pieces of paper "they're blank" she said confused.

"Yeah, I didn't know the music you liked so I gave you two concert tickets to whatever. I just need you to tell me so I can get them first" Peyton pointed out, she notice that everyone was laughing.

"Thank you" Haley said to her friend.

"My turn" Tim said.

"Okay, what is it?" Haley asked when she saw that he walked up to her empty handed.

"Well I had no money so I got you something better" Tim said, "you Haley James, get a free kiss form the Tim" he said puckering up his lips and getting closer to her.

"I don't think so" Nathan said pushing him off.

"It's the thought that counts" Peyton said, trying to help Tim out a little.

"Here Hales" Skills said handing her a box, "This is from Fergie, Junk, and me" he pointed out.

"Thank you boys" Haley said opening the box, it was a big box "oh my god, how did you guys know?" she asked.

"Brooke told us" Junk answered quickly.

"Guys I love it, thank you, thank you, thank you" she said like a child on Christmas morning.

"So are you gonna play something for us?" Lucas said pointing to the guitar in her hands.

Haley shook her head, she didn't want to play for such a big group. Sure they were her friends but she wasn't use to it, she had never played in public before. The only person that knew about her and her love for music was Brooke, and she promised to never tell anyone.

"Come on Hales" Nathan begged, and saw her sake her head again. "Fine" he said giving up.

"Here" Lucas said handing her a rectangular item.

"Lucas you didn't have to, you already brought the girls for me."

Haley opened it and smiled when she saw it, the book was one of her favorites _'Romeo and Juliet' _such a great love story. "Thank you" she simply said looking from the book to Lucas.

"Okay here is ours" Jill said handing her a bag.

Haley opened the present her friends had given her, "oh wow, you guys this is beautiful." She pulled out a red strapless dress, it was short and beautiful. The dress was extremely simple, just red with no straps and short probably a little higher then her knee. "Thank you."

"We also got you this"Alice handed her a little box, they had arranged this part with Brooke when they were in California.

Haley opened the tiny box and pulled out a tiny silver 'F', "It's a charm for my bracelet" she pointed out.

"Hales it's 'F' for Friends" Brooke pointed out, she then raised her hand as the girls did the same to show her their charms. Brooke had and 'F', Alice had 'B', and Jill had 'E'. "Best Friends For Ever" Brooke said pointing to Alice, then Haley, then herself followed by Jill. "We had to split the FOREVER part so we could have four charms."

"Girls I love it" Haley said in awe, she walked up to her friends and gave them a hug.

"What about you?" Haley asked turning to her boyfriend.

"That beautiful girl, you will get later" he said touching her nose with his finger.

"I'll wait" she said frustrated, first Brooke made her wait now Nathan. What was this make Haley wait day.

"I'll give it to you tomorrow" he said giving her a quick peck, after all Brooke had warned them about the PDA.

"Okay" she said after he pulled away.

* * *

**Ok so I know it's not one of the best chapters and I didn't add the Brooke and Lucas date but I will soon I promise, also I know i left of at a weird place but i promise next chapter we will have Nathan give her his present. Plus you'll see the dance and the dance dates. oh and the dares and stuff I got them form an iPod app, which are so funny but I had to change some of them around.**

**For those of you who read my other story I will update it sometime this week, I just had tons of things going on and only focused on one of the stories.**

**Thanks everyone for the comments and please review they mean a ton.**

**If you have any good stories please recommend them, I love to read stories that get me hooked.  
**


	14. A Hot Dress

**I know I suck for taking so long, but in my defense I've had tons of things going on this past weeks. Here is the new chapter and I really hope you like it, this will be about the pre-dates. I was never a dance kinda girl so my writing about this might suck, I still hope you like it. Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter I think it was only two but thanks. Ok here is the chapter-**

Last chapter- Brooke planned everything for her sister's birthday, including the party. Whitey told the team that this would be he's last year. And at the end everyone gave Haley her presents except for Nathan.

Chapter 14-

Both Alice and Jill had spent the night over; they would be staying for the weekend. Brooke and Haley were so exited about this, it was really nice to have someone over from back home. They all slept in Haley's room, for some reason her room was just a little bigger then Brooke's and had less things so that's were they spent the night.

After Haley had received all her gifts the night before they played a couple of games and talked, the talk was mostly about the dance. Going to an all girls' school, you didn't really get to go to dances like this. Alice and Jill were so exited, they didn't have dates but they would still go.

Brooke had talked to everyone and arranged them to go on a group date after lunch, but they could have a solo one in the morning if they wanted. They would go on the group date then head to the dance, the couples were as we all know; Brooke and Lucas, Nathan and Haley, Jake and Peyton, Skills decided to take a Bevin, he knew the girls would not approve of him taking Rachel so he settled for Bevin, he liked the girl but he knew that Rachel was actually an easy girl and he didn't know about Bevin. Mouth was going with a girl named Erika, Fergie and Junk would go with Alice and Jill.

Haley was the first to wake up, she looked to her right and saw Brooke in between her and Jill. She then turned to her left and saw Alice, Haley would have never expected all of them to fit in her bed, but some how they managed.

"Hey" Alice said noticing that her friend was looking at her, "how'd you sleep?"

"Good, you?"

"Good."

"Good" Haley repeated, "so you wanna go make some breakfast, if you remember this two can sleep for hours" Haley pointed out. Alice nodded and got of the bed followed by her friend.

Both girls walked to the kitchen and began to make breakfast, Haley made pancakes while Alice made scrambled eggs and of course the coffee maker did it's job as well.

"Hey Hales?" Alice asked turning to her friend.

"Yeah" Haley mumbled.

"What's with those two guys" she turned back to the eggs, "you know the ones Jill and I are going with tonight."

"Oh" Haley said, "well I don't really know a lot about them, I mean their really cool and they're really close to Lucas. Yes they do everything together but they are really nice guys, why?"

"Just wondering" she stood quite for a moment, "you think Jill would be mad if I claimed Junk?"

Haley turned to her friend who was now looking at her, "do you like him?"

"No"

"Then-" Haley said waving the spatula in front of her.

"I don't know, I Just" she cut of for a second "I just think he's more my type."

"What's wrong with Fergie" Haley asked her.

"Nothing" Alice defended herself, "but I think Jill would enjoy him more, you know?"

"yeah" Haley said turning back to her pancakes.

"Good morning girls" Jake said walking into the kitchen, "damn it smells good in here."

"Thanks Jake, but I haven't taken a shower yet" Haley said laughing along with Alice.

"I meant the food, but you smell good too" he walked over to his cousin and hugged her. Once he pulled away he began to speak again "so no Brooke this morning?"

"I would've though you knew that she doesn't wake up unless it's necessary" Alice pointed out, "since she's your cousin and all."

"You're funny" Jake said pouring himself a cup of coffee. "So the big day is today, you know what Brooke planned?" Jake asked his cousin, who just raised her shoulders.

"You know her, always going big" Alice said placing the eggs on the table and taking a seat across from Jake and next to her friend.

* * *

Brooke woke and saw Jill laying next to her, she remembered last night perfectly. While they talked she had the great idea to have both Alice and Jill go to the dance with Fergie and Junk, whom did not have dates.

She got out of bed and walked downstairs to join he sister, Alice and Jake, of course they were done with breakfast. Brooke walked to them and got to mugs and poured coffee, she popped two toast in the toaster and began speaking to them while she waited.

"Good morning ."

"Morning Brookie" Haley told her sister.

"So are you guys exited about today" she said clapping her hands in excitement, "I am."

"We know" Alice told her.

"So where is Jill?" Haley questioned, Jill would always be up before Brooke so it was weird to see Brooke first.

"Sleeping" Brooke said, "we stayed up talking till really late last night."

"I heard" Jake said.

"Well I'm gonna go, you know the girl likes her coffee first thing when she wakesup" Brooke pointed out, she grabbed the mugs and walked out the kitchen.

* * *

"So Lucas said that we should meet for lunch at the café, but I told him that it would be better if they picked us up. Is that okay?" Brooke said sitting on the bed brushing her hair. Haley just nodded while looking in the mirror.

It was almost time for them to meet for lunch, and the girls where all very exited.

"What about us?" Jill asked taking a seat next to Brooke.

"Oh it's fine, I'm pretty sure they'll come in Nathan's car. Trust me his SUV fits like eight, so your safe" Brooke told her.

"Do you think he'll be fine with that?" Alice asked a little worried.

"Yeah" Brooke said, "let me text Lucas and see if they'll come in Nathan's car, and if they are then Haley can ask him" she told them holding her phone to begin texting him.

The girls were just sitting on the bed catching up, after all the last time they saw each other was only for a day. It was an awesome that they had, but it was still the anniversary of their parents death. All though they had fun, that was still on their mind all day.

"Yeah, they'll be coming in Nathan's car" Brooke said after her phone vibrated, "I'll ask Nathan if it's fine for you to come with us" she said clicking the keys on her phone.

"Why doesn't Haley ask him?" Jill said.

"Because, my phone is in my room" Haley said looking at the girls.

"He said it's fine, they'll be here in ten" Brooke said jumping of the bed.

With that the girls all got up and walked to Brooke's bathroom to finish their make-up, they were dress so that was basically all they needed.

A few minutes later the girls walked downstairs to wait for the boys to arrive, they would be arriving in a minute now.

Lucas had called Brooke to tell her that Peyton had asked for a ride, so they would be a little late.

"Jake, they're almost here" Brooke yelled up the stairs.

"I'm coming" He yelled back.

He walked down the stairs to see all the girls waiting for him, the girls were all wearing jeans and t-shirts. To him it looked like they had arranged to wear the same, Alice wore a yellow, Jill wore Red, Brooke wore blue, and Haley wore Purple, but the funny part was that they were all just plain colored shirts.

"They're not even here Brooke" Jake yelled at her when he reached to bottom of the stairs.

They heard a honk and Brooke turned to Jake "oh shut up" she said slapping his chest.

Haley opened the door and let everyone step out before walking out herself, she then locked the door and turned to walk towards the car.

The car was packed, Nathan was driving with Lucas in the passenger seat. On the very back was Jill, Peyton, and Jake. In the middle row was Brooke, Haley, and Alice. They drove to the café, and once they arrived they got of and walked in.

Inside Skills and Mouth were already waiting with their dates, also with them was Fergie and Junk. They had a long table, which was a whole bunch of tables connected.

"Finally dawg" Skills let out, he felt like they had been waiting forever.

"Hey, we had to get Peyton" Lucas said looking at her. She just smiled shyly.

"Anyway, why ya'll come in the same car?" Mouth said.

Everyone was taking their seats, Mouth sat next to his date across from skills and his, next to skills was Fergie and Junk across from him. Alice sat next to Junk with Haley next to her and Nathan next, across from them were Jill next to Fergie followed by Brooke and Lucas. Peyton sat next to Lucas and across from Jake, who was next to Nathan.

"Brooke" Lucas said.

"Oh" Mouth said.

"Yeah" Nathan said, "the dude is so whipped" he let out a chuckle.

"I am not" Lucas said.

"Come on Luke, she practically order you to pick them up."

"What?!" Brooke said glaring at Nathan.

"Ok, how did you ask him?" Nathan asked her.

"Well we were talking, and we were saying our goodbyes when he said I'll see you at the café. I told him it would be better if he picked us up, and he said yes" Brooke pointed out.

"Did you use those exact words?" Nathan asked her.

Everyone could see that they was going to turn to a fight, yeah just a verbal one and small but still a fight. They also knew that Brooke would win, somehow the girl always got her way.

"No" she shrugged.

"Can you tell us your exact words" Nathan suggested.

"I think you should drop this" Haley told him.

"No" he said softly, then he turned to Brooke "I want to know how she told him."

"Fine" Brooke glared at him, "I believe the exact words were; _you should pick us up, then we would only take one car."_

Nathan raised his eyebrow suspiciously.

"Actually you said: _Ok I'll be waiting for you to pick us up, and don't be late._" Lucas pointed out.

Brooke turned to him and Glare.

"Isn't the good thing that we're all here?" Alice cut in, she could tell that what was about to come out of Brooke's mouth was not good.

"Yeah" Jill said, "How are all of you?" she looked around the table receiving nods.

"Do you have your dress for tonight?" Bevin asked.

"Of course" Brooke said, "Haley and I have ours, but we still have to go get one for Jill and Alice. They didn't know we would be going to the dance, I kinda forgot to tell them about that."

"They we better eat, so you girls can get going" Lucas said, he was trying to calm Brooke down from what he said before.

"Brooke, we really didn't bring any money" Alice pointed out, "I mean we brought enough for like emergency stuff, but that's all."

"It's fine" Brooke said waving her hand, "it will be our treat, right Hales."

Haley shot her head up from the menu to look at her sister, "course" she sent her friend a smile.

"you coming P. Sawyer?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah, sure."

"This is gonna be so much fun" Brooke let out clapping her hands.

"Brooke" Haley said softly and gave her sister the eyes.

Brooke understood what her sister was saying and turned to the opposite side of the table, "do you girls want to come?"

"Yes" Bevin let out a squeak.

"Sure" Erika said, she wasn't really the shopping kind but she would give it a try.

"Ok, so it set. Now what are we going to have, I'm starving"

The waitress came took their orders and left to the kitchen to get them started, once they received their food they talked while eating. Most of the conversation revolved around Alice, Jill, Brooke, and Haley's past , how they became friends and what they did for fun in a boarding school.

They were done with their food now, they had all made their way out to the parking lot to talk about tonight.

"So do you guys wanna meet there?" Haley asked Bevin and Erika.

"Yeah, that sound good" Erika said standing next to Mouth.

"Why don't you guys just go now?" Lucas asked.

"Sweetie, we don't have a car" Brooke pointed out.

"Take mine" Nathan said handing Haley the keys.

"It's fine, you can just take us home and we'll get my car" Haley said not taking the keys hanging in front of her.

"That will just take time" he said walking to her, "time you can use to get ready" he handed her the keys again.

"He's right" Brooke said taking the keys from him.

"How will you get home?" Haley asked him.

"I'll go with Skills or Mouth."

"But you'll still need your car tonight" she pointed out. By this time he was holding her close to him, his hands placed on her hips.

"Then, I'll have them take me to your house and I'll take your car."

"Fine" she told him.

He leaned down and gave her a quick peck, "see you tonight."

"Yeah we all get it, now can we please go" Brooke said grabbing her sister. They walked towards the car and she handed Haley the keys.

* * *

"So did they ever have boyfriends?"

"Yes" Alice said, she was really getting tired of this girls questions. It felt like she really wanted to find trash about them.

"Where they good?"

"What do you mean?" Alice said looking at Erika with a little bit of an attitude.

Alice had already found her dress so she was sitting on the bench outside the store the rest of the girls were, Erika had just taken a seat next to her and began asking all this questions.

"Well they seem to have the perfect life, I mean they move to a new town from _hello_ L.A. When they get here they get to be part of the cheer squad just like that, I mean no one ever saw a try out. Brooke got handed the captain position. They are currently dating the stars of the basketball team, and it turns out they're related to the other star. No one's life is that perfect" she said, they she just began babbling non-stop "Plus why do they live with Jake? Are their parents in rehab or something? Maybe their in jail? Yeah that's got to be it, but then they wouldn't be so happy. I mean seriously why are they so happy all the time, no one's life is that happy. And they seem to always get what they want, I mean they spent four hundred dollars on a dress for you" she said pointing to the dress.

Alice was really getting tired of this girl, she kept making conclusions about her friends. Sure they were happy and got what they wanted, but they worked hard to get it, and they had struggles to get to be happy again. She was really pissed. Erika kept saying things without knowing the truth.

Alice turned to Erika and began talking, "I can't answers those questions for you, but I can tell you that everything they have is because they deserve it. They are really good people, they're always there when you need them, and no matter what you say, they'll always get what they want. That's just how they are. They work and work until they succeed" with that she stood up and walked back to the store.

"What was that about" Bevin said sitting next to Erika.

"I don't know, I was just asking questions about them. Then she completely freaked out, and told me how they always get what they want because they work hard to get it."

"That's true" Bevin said, "Brooke works really hard with the squad, she really believes in it."

"I still think there is something about them, something they don't want people to know" Erika said, she was suspicious but had no clues nor proof that they were hiding something.

All five girls walked out the store holding a whole bunch of bags, it looked like they all got new dresses.

"Did you find one?" Bevin asked walking to them, she was so exited about the dance.

"Yes" Jill let out.

"And it's perfect" Brooke said linking her arm with her.

"What else did you guys get?" Erika asked.

"Tons of things" Haley said, "Brooke here said we needed new shoes and jewelry, so no more said we got some."

The girls ignored the little attitude Erika was giving and started walking, now that they got Jill's dress they were ready to go home and get ready.

* * *

The girls had dropped Erika of at her house then went to Bevin's, for some kind of reason Brooke invited her to get ready with them.

They were all in Haley's room getting ready, hair supplies and make-up everywhere.

"So P. Sawyer are you exited about going with my cousin?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah" Peyton said walking out of the closet. She was the first one to put on her dress. It was beautiful, a knee length red strapless dress. Her hair was up in a bun.

"Wow" Brooke said, "you look hot, my cousin's not gonna know what hit'em."

"Peyton you look beautiful" Jill said.

"Your legs look so long" Alice pointed out, in a good way.

"Thanks guys, but stop cause you're making me blush."

"Me next" Jill said walking in the closet.

"I'll take the bathroom" Bevin said walking with her dress towards it.

"Hell, let's just change here" Brooke said taking of her shirt.

Haley and Alice followed her lead, they undressed themselves and picket their dresses. It was weird but they all had similar dresses and colors, maybe cause it was the Valentine's day dance most of the people would be wearing red.

Alice's dress silky black knee length dress, with extremely thin straps. Her hair was pin straight, and her make up with smoky eyes.

"Alice you look great" Haley said, "Black really does look good on you."

"You look good two" Alice said looking at her.

She was wearing a white dress, the dress was strapless and it had a purple bow on the waistband. It was knee length, but after the waistband it puffed out. Her hair was up in a pony tail with soft curls, their was a few loose strands but they looked great.

"And Brooke" Alice said speechless.

Brooke was the only one that had gone with a long dress, but you have to say it was beautiful. The dress was long and red, the straps met right above her chest with a silver ring. It had an asymmetrical look to it, her hair as always long dark and silky in soft curls.

"Thanks Al, you look hot" Brooke said, "and Hales you look-" she was speechless, but thankfully Jill stepped out of the closet with the right words.

"Like and angel."

The girls all laughed when they saw Jill, she just stepped out of the closet with those words. The girl was wearing a blue one shoulder dress, the dress was tight but looked great on the girl. Her hair was done to the side with tons of curls.

"Damn girl, you look hot" Bevin said walking out of the bathroom.

"Thanks you Bevin" Jill responded, she didn't know Bevin all that good so she really didn't feel like she could talk to her like she talked to the others.

"You're welcome" Bevin said, her dress was a light green. It tied around her neck, and it was just a little passed her knees. Her hair was blond and straight.

All the girls where done with getting ready so they just did a few last minutes details while they talked.

"Did you feel a bad vive from Erika today, I mean the girl was acting really weird" Brooke pointed out putting a few thing to the tiny clutch.

"Yeah, she was asking all this questions about you guys" Alice said, "it was kinda weird."

"She said that she asked you something and you said that Haley and Brooke always got what they wanted because they worked hard at getting what they wanted" Bevin said putting on lip gloss.

"It's true" Jill said walking over to them, "my girls always get what they want, they work hard for it. And even if they don't have to worry about money, they still worked."

Both Brooke and Haley gave her a heartfelt smile.

"What do you mean about the money?" Peyton asked. She knew both girls for a few months now, but they never revealed their past.

"They have a huge trust fund" Jill said earning a look from both sisters.

"What?!" Peyton was shocked, she never heard of this.

"It's not like that" Brooke said.

"The thing is that. Yes, we do have a huge trust fund. But we can't touch it till we're eighteen, but we still get money deposited in our accounts per month. We try not to use it unless it's needed, but sometimes you just have to be a girl" Haley finished for her sister, she knew that Brooke would have a hard time explaining this.

"So you're like rich?" Bevin asked.

"Yes" Brooke said, then turned back to do what she was doing.

"Then why do you live here? I mean why not with your parents?" Bevin asked.

Alice, Peyton and Jill all looked at them, Brooke and Haley just looked at each other. Poor Bevin didn't understand what was going on, she just asked a simple question, but it felt like she asked the wrong one.

It was quiet for a minute before Jill stepped in to answer, she knew how hard it was for both of them to talk about it. They were so young when it all happened, they tried to not talk about it unless it was necessary.

"They passed away a few years ago" Jill said.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry" Bevin said, "I…I…I-"

"Bevin, it's fine" Brooke said, "you didn't know, it's not something we talk about often" she said looking at her sister.

"I'm sorry" Bevin said.

"It's okay" Brooke said, "but do you think you can keep that to yourself, we really don't want people to know." Bevin simply nodded.

Alice was sick of the subject, she knew what it would bring later so she wanted to change it soon. With that she said the first thing she thought of, "oh my god you wont believe who I saw last week" she said.

"Who?" Haley questioned.

"Brandon" Alice said earning a shock look from both Haley and Brooke.

"Who's Brandon?" Peyton asked with a seductive tone.

"Haley's ex." Jill said glaring at Alice.

* * *

**Ok so I know it's a crappy place to end it, but next chapter we will have the dance. I really wanted to give the whole ex boyfriend thing to Brooke but I have something better coming up for her, plus the story that comes with Brandon would no fit Brooke very much. I'll try to update soon, I have plans to write the next chapter tonight but you never know.**

**Thanks to all the readers, and I know this chapter was kinda boring.**

**Please review. Take care **


	15. Backstabber

**As promised here is the next chapter, I know I said I was going to try and do it yesterday, but there was a party at my house and I had a couple drinks and I'm not use to it so I ended up not feeling to well. Sorry... :(**

Chapter 15-

The guys had arrived at the house to pick the girls and Jake up, they divided into two cars. The first car was Nathan and with him was; Haley of course, Brooke, Lucas, Junk, Fergie, Alice, and Jill, while in the second car was Mouth, Erika, Skills, Bevin, Peyton, and Jake. They drove straight to the school, all they wanted to do was get to the dance.

Once they arrived at the school they got out of their cars and walked towards the gym, they handed the lady on the door their tickets and walked in. The room was decorated all so beautiful, there was tables all around the gym, leaving enough room in the middle to dance. The tables had white table clothes and had beautiful table settings, they were roses with heart balloons. The chairs had pink covers with red ribbons around it, and there was also white, silver, red, and pink balloons all around the gym.

They all walked inside and settled themselves in a long table, the boys managed to move the round tables and connect them. They didn't look all that good, but they point was to just be there together. It didn't matter to them that the table looked weird, but that they would have a good time together.

"Let's dance" Brooke said standing up, she took Lucas' hand and pulled him to the middle.

"The girl know what she want" Skills said.

Bevin looked at him, "so do I" she told him seductively. "And right now I want to dance too" she stood up and pulled Skills with her.

Alice got Junk to dance with her, as did Jill. Somehow the girls were very persuasive, they always managed to get their way with boys.

"Want some punch?" he asked.

"Yes, that would be great" Erika told him with a smile.

"Haley would you like some punch?" he asked her standing up.

"Yeah Mouth, that would be great. Thanks."

Nathan stood up and gave her a quick smile, "I'll go with you" he told Mouth. Mouth waited for him and they walked out together.

Erika went and sat next to Haley who was now looking at her sister dance, she loved her sister. She would never grow tired of her, her sister was here whole world.

"So, why aren't you dancing?" Erika asked.

"No" she answered sweetly, "Nathan's not much of a dancer."

"Oh" Erika said, "so I heard it was your birthday yesterday, did you have a party?"

"Yeah, everyone went to my house yesterday" she told her with a smile. "Actually, Brooke planned everything. So I really didn't even have a saw in it."

"Here you go" Mouth said handing Erika her drink, he appeared right as Erika would begin to ask more questions.

"Thanks" she told him taking a sip, she then put the cup down "wanna dance?" she asked Mouth.

Mouth stood up, took her hand and walked to the dance floor leaving Haley and Nathan all alone.

"What's on your mind?" Nathan asked braking her out of her thoughts.

Haley turned to face him, "nothing, just Brooke."

"What about her?"

"She just looks so happy" she told him looking back to her sister.

"yeah" he said, then a slow song started "let's dance" he stated stretching his hand to her. Haley took his hand and they walked to the dance floor.

--------

"You look beautiful" he whispered in her hear.

Her head was still leaning on his chest as the song kept playing, they kept swinging to the music together.

"Thanks" Brooke said looking up at his blue eyes.

They just dance together to the song, they danced as close together as they possibly could. For Brooke taking a seat wasn't and option, she would be on that dance floor until the party was over.

---------

The music got louder as the song turned to a more upbeat one, everyone got closer together and dance with each other. It didn't matter if they didn't dance with their date, they just danced with each other.

As they danced they did not speak, the music was so loud that they would have to yell. Most of them just dance and tried to enjoy the moment, talking wasn't much of a necessity.

"Oh my god I love this song" Bevin yelled as she danced with the girls.

The song kept playing as the girls danced with each other. Erika on the other hand went to take a sit, somehow she didn't feel like she belonged with the rest of the girls. In a way she was right, Haley, Brooke, Alice, and Jill had been friends for a long time, but then there was also Peyton and Bevin who were friends with the sisters because of cheer. Erika just didn't fit in with them, somehow she just felt like they didn't really like her.

Erika took a seat and watch as the rest of them kept dancing, they really did look like they had been friend for the longest time. Why couldn't people just like her more at first, it was as if she had kiss people's ass to become friends with them.

--------

"Alright everyone" The lady said walking towards the microphone on the stage, "I have the results for this year's dance royalty in this envelope" she said holding up the envelope. "So without further ado, your Valentine's day royalty are" she opened the enveloped and pulled out a paper,"Lucas Scott and Peyton Sawyer" the lady said clapping right after saying the results.

Lucas walked over to Peyton and held her hand, they walked to the stage hand and hand and got their crowns.

They walked to the dance floor and began to dance, as it was traditional. Brooke and the rest of the people stood around watching them. For some reason Brooke felt weird, she felt a tad jealous of Peyton. She couldn't believe that she was actually jealous of her, there was obviously nothing going on between the two. But then again she doesn't know their pasts, she got there not long ago and all she knew was from her arrival on.

Jake never discussed his friends passed with the girls, the only thing he had said was to Haley, and it was to be careful with Nathan. But now she really wanted to know if there was ever something going on between the two, they looked so close and comfortable together.

"What you thinking bout?" Haley said braking her sister out of her thoughts.

"Do you know if there was anything between Peyton and Lucas?" she asked very bluntly, but nor realizing what she had said.

"Brooke" Haley said turning her sister to face her, "that boy loves you, I can see it every time he looks at you, every time he talks to you, why are you worrying about this now?"

"Never mind" she said shaking her head.

"Lets dance" Haley said grabbing her sister and walking to the middle after the slow song had ended.

The girls danced together swinging their hips, and laughing together and having and amazing time.

After they had dance for a while the girls went to take a seat, they were tired and needed a drink. The rest were all dancing, except for Nathan and Lucas who were standing on the side looking around.

The dance continued for a little while longer, and to everyone's surprise it was a drama free dance. The only wrong thing, which was totally expected was the spiked punch.

So having been thirsty a lot, Peyton had a little to much to drink. And as we all know a drunk always talks without thinking.

* * *

They were now on their way back home, it was around midnight and the dance was over. And Nathan decided to take everyone to his house after the dance, his parents weren't home for the weekend so it was perfect.

"Can't you drive faster Nate" Peyton yelled from the very back of the car.

Everyone laughed a the drunk Peyton, and Nathan just kept driving. Once they reached the house everyone got out and walked in the house.

Nathan walked over to a cabinet and got some drinks and cups, then he walked over to the living room where the rest were and set the alcohol and cups on the coffee table.

"Oh my god, I can't believe I won" Peyton said taking a sip of her cup.

"I think you've been drinking too much" Brooke pointed out, as Haley nodded her head.

"I think you should tell us about Brandon" Peyton shot back.

All four girls looked at each other a little nervous, none of them really wanted to talk about it. Haley was the main person who didn't want to talk about.

"Who's Brandon?" Lucas asked.

They all waited for one of the girls to answer, but none of them actually did. That's when Peyton decided to take a lead, and say what she knew.

"Brandon dear Lucas, is Haley's ex."

"Peyton" Brooke warned.

For one thing Peyton didn't know the story, but she also didn't know what she was talking about; the girl was drunk as they can get.

"What, I think we all want to know" Peyton pointed out.

"Fine" Haley said, "I'll tell you when you tell me about your ex."

"Well that's not a problem" Peyton said swinging the cup in front of her face, "my ex is actually sitting in this room" she said. "You see I dated your boyfriend here" she pointed to Nathan, "but then he cheated, so I did the same to him by hooking up with your sister's boyfriend" she now pointed to Lucas. "Now I guess you can call me a whore, but hell I was just trying to get back at him" she shot out, she then felt a little sick and ran to the bathroom.

Haley and Brooke were just sitting there shocked at what Peyton had said, not only had she been with one of them, but she actually cheated on one Scott with the Other.

* * *

**Ok, I know this chapter is also not the best, but like I said I was never a high school dance kinda girl. I tried not to add drama because I have a lot planned for later on, on the next chapter I'm thinking of bringing in a new character. **

**I would Also like to know if you guys prefer Peyton with Jake or Lucas? I know that a lot of people like Leyton but there are still some of you that like Jeyton. Please tell me what you think.**

**Hoped you had a good Easter.  
**


	16. Blast from the Past

**Thanks to all the reviews I got on the last Chapter, Haley Elizabeth James I completely understand the frustration of trying to log in from you iPod, but thanks for reviewing anyways. Thanks to all and dianehermans I hope you got my message and like the ideas, thanks for your review. xNOBODYSxHOMEx thanks for your review, I always love how you tell me everything your thinking and would like to se****e happen. Thanks to all of you =]**

Chapter 16-

After the Peyton's little show the previous night, Nathan decided it would be best if everyone just went home. He drove Lucas, Haley, Brooke, Alice, Jill, and Jake home, while Skills took the rest to their houses. The night started of perfect, but a drunk Peyton could never hold her words. Some of the things hot people thinking, even though some of them didn't really talk on the way home.

Laying in bed was Haley and Alice, they had decided to spend the night in Haley's room while Brooke and Jill spent it in Brookes. The girls missed just having a sleepover the two of them, it wasn't that they didn't like the rest, but they got along so much better together.

The sun was cracking through the blind and the curtains, Haley adjusted her vision and looked at her phone to check the time. It was eight in the morning, she wasn't use to waking up so early on Sundays but she had to make the best of it. This would be Jill and Alice's last day in town, and they wanted to make the most of it.

Alice turned on her side and rested her head on her hand, looking at her friend she talked "good morning bestestes friend."

"Morning" Haley said still a little tired, she rubbed her eyes and sat up resting her head on the head rest.

"So are you gonna tell him?" Alice asked. She knew Haley wouldn't want to talk about it, everything that she had with Brandon was wrong. The boy definitively didn't know how to treat a girl.

Haley shook her head. Sometimes just thinking about the subject brought her down, the only person she could talk about it was Alice. She was there through it all, not even Brooke knew the whole story. Haley felt horrible for not telling her sister, but she Knew Brooke to well. So she decided to keep it all between her and Alice.

"Haley, you have to tell him" Alice said a little concerned for her friend, she had finally found someone worth telling. Someone that could be there for her when Alice wasn't, someone to talk about it and just let everything out.

"I Know" Haley told her looking at her legs.

"Come here" Alice said scooting closer to her and bringing her to a hug.

The girls were just sitting there when the door flew open and Brooke running to the bed, she jumped on the bed and hugged her sister. When she pulled away she saw that her sister was sad, why would she be said when this would be the perfect day. Brooke couldn't wrap the fact around her head.

"What's wrong" she asked concerned.

"I just don't want them to go" Haley lied.

"Hales, they'll be back" Brooke said hugging her one more time, "now flip that frown to a smile, we have tons to do today" she pointed out with a grin.

Haley did as told, and she walked to the bathroom to take a shower. The rest of the girls did the same, taking turns in the shower. Once they were all done they walked downstairs and outside, they would be having breakfast out today. They wanted to spend as much time together, and they couldn't do that in the house with Jake there all the time.

They all got in the bug and drove of to their destination.

* * *

The girls were all sitting in the both just talking about their old memories, sometimes they wished they still did all live together. But both Brooke and Haley loved living in Tree Hill, it was so peaceful compared to the city.

"Remember that time when we were twelve and decided to play spin the bottle?" Jill said laughing.

The rest of the girls followed along laughing, it was probably each girl's first kiss.

"Yeah, I got to kiss Haley" Alice said, "we had just gotten our rooms assigned and she was my roommate, of course she wanted to share the room with Brooke but Sister Elizabeth said that she had to share with someone in her grade" Alice kept telling the story and laughing at how they actually became friends.

"I remember, I told you not to talk to me because I was not interested in becoming friends" Haley said.

"Yeah" Alice said laughing some more, she then controlled her laughter to say something a little more serious. "Who knew I would be your first kiss" she chuckled this time.

"Good morning, what can I get you girls" Karen said.

"Oh hi Karen" Brooke said, she loved this woman. She was Lucas' mom and Brooke and Haley both got to spend lots of time with her, they pretty much lived at the café.

"Hi girls" she said giving them a smile, "and who are this lovely ladies" she pointed with her pen.

"This is Alice and Jill" Haley said pointing to each as she called their names, "they're our friends from California."

"Well it's nice to meet you" Karen said, she then focused back to what she was doing "can I get you anything?"

"Yes" Alice said, "Can we have apple pie, with scramble eggs, a toast, and orange juice" she finished with a smile.

"Will you all have the same?" Karen asked getting a nod from all three girls, "okay then, I'll go get this for you" with that she walked towards the kitchen to get the meals started.

Once they received their food, the girls eat while talking. They kept bringing up old things they did together, some were funny some were just embarrassing, and some were sad. But they loved to talk about the great time they had together when they were younger.

"Come on girlfriend let's go" Alice said when she stood up holding her hand out for Haley to take.

Brooke and Jill just laughed at them, they were actually the ones who dare to kiss each other. Brooke and Jill just kissed each other's cheeks, it was boring but they did not want their first to be with a girl.

Holding hands the girls started making their way to the door, when they stepped out of the café they saw Nathan on his way the door.

"Hey" He said giving each girl a hug.

"Hey" Haley said, she was still holding Alice's hand. For some reason she felt a little uncomfortable standing there talking to him, maybe it was because last night no one said a word on their way home.

"Can we talk?" he asked Haley braking her from her thoughts.

Just as she was about to answer Brooke and Jill stepped out, Brooke looked at her sister and began to speak. "No boyfriends Haley" she yelled, "it's Jill and Al's last day" she pouted.

Nathan looked at Brooke and understood, for some reason he really wanted them to spend the day together. But he couldn't shake the feeling of Haley hiding something from her off; he knew there was something she really didn't want to tell him.

"Why don't we meet in two hours" Alice suggested. She knew that Haley would have to tell him some time, and the sooner the better. All she wanted was for her friend to have someone to protect her when she wasn't there, and she knew that Haley would never tell Brooke the whole story.

"What?" Haley asked confused.

"Yeah" Alice responded, "Brooke said we would be going to a movie now, I think you should skip it and talk to Nathan. Then we can meet for our next thing" she said trying to hint that she should tell him.

"Fine" Brooke breathed out. She hated changing plans, but Alice seemed to really want them to talk.

"Okay then, it's settled. You two go and we'll meet later, Brooke will text you the details" Alice said linking her arm to Brookes to walk to the car.

"Keys" Haley yelled to the girls, they were so exited about leaving that they forgot to get the keys.

Brooke turned to look at her sister and caught the keys that were thrown at her.

Once in the car Brooke turned it on and began "what the hell was that Al?"

Alice was sitting in the back, she scooted so that her head was between both girls. "I just think she should tell him about Brandon."

"She's right" Jill said.

"I guess" Brooke said.

"You know is the right thing to do Brookster" Alice told her, she sat back and buckled her seat belt.

They talked about the whole Brandon situation all the way to their destination.

* * *

"So what do you want to talk about?" Haley asked a little scared, she knew exactly what he wanted to talk about; Brandon. Peyton had said a little too much last night and now here she was terrified to talk about it.

They walked a little longer until they reached the table by the river court, he sat down and asked her to sit next to him.

Do what she was told Haley followed his lead and sat next to him, she could see that he wanted to ask but couldn't find the right words.

"Look Nathan" she said turning to face him while he did the same, "I know you want to know about Brandon" she told him, looking straight into his eyes she kept going. "You need to know that this is not easy for me to talk about, actually the only person that knows everything is Alice. She did promise not to tell Brooke because god know what she would have done" noticing she got of subject she shook her head and began again. "The thing is, Brandon was my ex. And I know that guys don't really like to hear about their girlfriends ex-boyfriends but you need to know."

She paused for a second trying to find the right words to say, "I met Brandon at a party. He was the sweetest guy I had ever been with, but when things got serious he changed. Even though I did go to an all girls school the school always did activities with an all boys school, the boys were really cool and I was even friends with some of them. Anyways after about four months of dating Brandon, he saw me talking to Chris."

"Who's Chris?" Nathan asked, where were all these boys coming from. It was as if her past was filled with boys.

She placed her hand on his and started to talk again, "Chris is a guy form the boy's school, we became really good friends. I guess it's cause we connected with music, but that's not the point. When Brandon saw us talking he came up to us and pulled me to a room. He said all this things about how we were dating and I shouldn't talk to boys, that talking to other guys was disrespectful to him and stuff like that. The whole time he was yelling, it scared the crap out of me. Little did I know that it would not be the only time" she said with a tear falling from her eyes. "A little over a month before I moved here we had a date, I was going to tell him that I would be moving here and that we couldn't see each other anymore. But when I told him he was beyond mad, he shoved me to a wall and yelled. He just kept on yelling" she said now crying. The memory of that night was stuck with her forever.

_Flashback-_

_They had just finished their dinner and they would be heading back to their homes, or in Haley's case to the school. They walked hand in hand through the streets of Los Angles, Haley resting her head on his shoulder as they walked._

_"I have to tell you something" She said._

_"What it is?" he said turning to face her._

_"I'm moving."_

_"What?" he said confused, "when? Where? "_

_"Tree Hill, in about a month."_

_"Why?" he could understand why she was leaving, her whole life was here._

_"We're going to go live with our aunt" she said, she took his hand between both of hers. "I just want to be with family for a while. I'm sorry."_

_"No" he said grabbing her arm, he pulled her to an empty road. Once they reached a place were one could see he let her go._

_"What are you doing?" she asked scared._

_"You can't leave" he said softly but a demanding tone._

_"I have to" she said, by know she had few tears down her cheeks "they're waiting for us."_

_"You are not going" he said grabbing her wrist. He had both of her wrist and pulled her close to him._

_"Brandon, your hurting me" she said trying to slid her hands of._

_"You can't go" he repeated._

_"let me go" Haley yelled._

_"Shut up" he yelled and pushed her to the wall._

_When she hit the wall she slid down and felt the tears just coming from her eyes, at this moment she was scared. Sure he had yelled at her plenty of times before, but he never got physical. Haley was use to the yelling, he would do it all the time when they were alone. She would be lying if she said it didn't scared him but she loved him, or at least that's what she thought._

_"Baby, I'm sorry" he said walking over to her, he crunched down to see her._

_"Don't touch me" she yelled slapping his hand._

_"'Come on, I'm sorry" He said a little louder._

_Haley just stood there not moving, all she wanted was for him to leave her alone._

_"Get up, I'm taking you home" he said ordering her to do so. When she didn't do as told he yelled again, "I said get up" he said pulling her up by the hair._

_"Let me go" Haley yelled, all she wanted was for someone to see them and help her._

_"I'm taking you home" he said letting go of her hair and grabbing her wrist a little too tight._

_"Let me go" she said trying to pull away, "I don't want you to touch me" she yelled._

_This infuriated him, he pulled her to holding her tighter. He walked to the car and watch as people stared. He pulled her closer to him so that they couldn't see that she was crying. Once they reached the car he opened the door, but Haley refused to get in._

_"Get in" he said softly but angry._

_Haley shook her head and try to get out of his grip._

_"I said get in" he yelled pushing her in the car. He walked around the car and looked at her, "I'm sorry baby" he said._

_"Don't touch me" Haley said softly while still crying._

_Brandon paid no attention to this and placed his hand on her thigh as he drove them back to her school. Once they reached the Place Haley jumped out of the car and walked to the door, Brandon followed her close behind and pulled her arm causing her to turn and face him. He then pulled her closer and forcefully kissed her, the whole time he kissed her she was crying. The tears just kept on coming, then he pulled away noticing that she didn't kiss back._

_"What's wrong?" he asked._

_"I just want to go" she said turning around._

_"Haley, why don't you want to kiss me?"_

_Haley was shocked that he was asking this question, how could he ask this. "You just shoved me to a wall" she said hurt._

_"I said I was sorry" he stated._

_"Well sorry is not gonna cut it" she said, she then turned around and walked to the big brown door._

_Before she could open it he flipped her to face him and pinned her to the door, "Kiss me" he said roughly._

_Haley shook her head, she hoped and prayed that someone could see this and help her._

_"I said kiss me" he order. When she didn't do so he pulled away and looked at her, he was so angry that he didn't even think about his next move. The only thing he remember was the sound and her on the floor._

_Haley sat on the floor with her back resting on the door holding her cheek, his hand was extremely heavy and the slap would definitively leave a mark. As she cried there on the floor he just stared at her._

_His reaction when the door open was priceless, he was like a deer on headlight._

_End flashback-_

"That's when Brooke came out and pulled me back in, she then walked back outside and yelled at him. I don't know what she said but I know that I never saw him again" she told him crying. Her tears just coming out of her eyes like this would be the last day she could ever cry.

Nathan just sat next to her hugging her and rubbing her back, her head rested on his side while the tears kept on coming.

He sat there with her for about thirty minutes, when he saw that her breathing was stabilizing a little he looked at her. He couldn't believe that some would hurt her, she was such a nice, sweet person. Who would want to hurt her? Why would they want to hurt her? Shaking those thoughts from his head he wiped her cheeks to make sure her face was clear.

"I'm glad you told me that" he said, "but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

Haley pulled away and looked at him straight in the eyes, she could see that he felt sorry for her now. That right there was the exact reason why she didn't like to tell anyone about that night.

He noticed that she wasn't going to say anything so he continued to talk "on Friday I never gave you your present" he pointed out with a smile. The only thing he wanted was to see her smile again, to see her cry just broke his heart.

Haley smiled at him and whipped her face, "what you get me?"

He pulled out a small flat square, by the looks of it you could probably say it was a chocolate bar. But this was a little thicker and a little longer and wider.

Haley took it in her hands and ripped the paper out, when she saw what it was she smiled looking at him. "How did you get these?" she asked looking at the picture frame.

"I asked Mr. Jacobson if he still had them and he said yes, he actually said that he saves them and throws them away at the end of the semester. I practically had to beg him to let me have them" Nathan said smiling back. He was so happy that she was happier at this moment.

"I love it" Haley said looking at it again. The picture frame had the free passes they got from Mr. Jacobson, the ones they got for getting the highest grade in the class on their project. They were also the ticket they used to have their first date, sure it was a lunch date but it still counts.

He smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her, she kissed back with the same sweet and tender passion he kissed her. The feeling she was getting from this kiss was curing her heart from all the pain she got from Brandon.

* * *

**Ok, so I really hope you like this one. Sorry to all the Brooke fans, there really wasn't much Brooke in this but she will be back next episode. There will also be two new characters coming to school, one which will have a crush on Brooke so we will have tons of that.**

**Please Review, and if I get a few review I'll try to update tonight, if not I'll try to do it by Wednesday. =]**


	17. I'm the Old New Kid

Chapter 17-

It had been exactly three days since Haley told Nathan all about Brandon, maybe not all but at least the most important part. It had also been three days since the girls had taken their friends to the airport for them to leave, something no one really wanted to happen.

Having Jill and Alice around gave the girls joy, it gave them part of their past back. The good part, the part were they had memories of them playing together. Memories of becoming friends, sharing about their first kiss, first dates, first boyfriends, pretty much first everything. Anything they did, they would share with each other.

Both girls and Jake were sitting in their homeroom class, the teacher was going over the announcements for the week. The only important thing was the game they would be having on Friday, Brooke was really exited about that. She had the girls learn new routine, one the she was very exited to show the school.

The homeroom teacher, Mr. Clemet got through the announcements pretty fast. The students had the rest of the class to do as they pleased. Homeroom was only fifteen minutes long, but sometimes they did have stuff to do.

Brooke was currently talking to a girl that sat next to her, Cristina. She had become friends with the girl a few weeks back, they only talked during homeroom but they were considered friends.

"So how is the new routine coming?" Cristina asked.

"Great" Brooke said perking up at the question, she loved to talk about her squad. She loved all the girls, and was hoping to win the next competition.

"That's awesome" Cristina told her turning on her side to talk to her.

They continued to talk for the rest of the period, something about the way the girl being so interested made Brooke want to keep talking and telling her all about it.

Jake on the other hand was talking to Haley, they were the ones who usually talked about school. At the moment they were talking about a report they had do for music class, they had the same teacher but different classes. Jake had guitar and composition, and Haley had History of Music.

"I'm almost done" Jake answered his cousin's question.

"That's good, don't you think the sooner we get it done the more time we have to have fun" she semi asked.

"Yeah, I was actually thinking the same thing."

The bell rang and everyone stood up to go to their next class. Brooke walked with Cristina out the door as soon as the bell rang, they really had a lot to talk about.

Jake stood up and turned to face Haley, who was currently taking out her phone to check if she had missed anything.

"Hey, I'm gonna go. I have to talk to Peyton about something" he said.

"Oh, I'll see ya. She's actually in my next class" she said then waved to her cousin to go.

Walking to the door Haley felt someone bump arms with her, when she turned to check who it was. She saw that it won none other then Sean , the boy she had met at the beach. After they met, they usually crossed a few words here and there but nothing major. For different reasons, one being that they sat on opposite sides of the classroom.

"Hey you" Sean said, the tone was just a little to flirtatious.

"Hey" Haley said with a smile. They walked out the classroom and to the hall.

"Where do you go next?" he asked her, he was obviously going to walk with her now.

"History" she said still walking.

"Cool" Sean said, "so how are thing with the boyfriend?"

Haley snapped her head at the comment, sure everyone knew they were dating by now. But no one ever really talked about it, "good."

"Cool" he responded, at this point he felt like she really didn't want to talk with him. She kept giving him monosyllable answers, "are you ok?"

"Yeah, why" she asked him, by now she stopped and turned to face him.

"I don't know, I mean that day at the beach you seemed to really want to talk. And now, well now you don't say more then one word at the time" he told her, he could hear people walking around them to get to class.

"It's not that Sean" she said placing her hand on his chest, "I just have a lot on my mind right now."

He seemed happy with the answer, "wanna talk about it?" he asked her. He obviously knew the answer, but it was worth a shot.

"It's fine" she said taking her hand back, "but I'll talk to you tomorrow" once that was said she walked towards her classroom.

Haley went to take her seat, and soon enough Peyton took hers right next to Haley. Peyton put her bag on the floor next to her and turned to face Haley.

"So who's the hottie?" she questioned playing with a strand of hair.

Haley turned to face her, "who? Sean?" she asked.

"Sean" she said smiling, "he's cute" Peyton pointed out.

"I guess" Haley shrugged, then the bell rang. Thank god, or else Peyton would have kept asking questions. That was the weird part, she had been going to the school for a while and she didn't know who Sean was. Peyton was a cheerleader and she didn't know one of the main players on the football team, that was the weirdest thing for Haley to hear.

* * *

Computer class was so boring, how could anyone actually enjoy it. The teacher, Mrs. Owen had the worse laugh. It was as if she couldn't handle herself, when something was funny to her. Which let's face it , most of the time it was only funny to her. Her laugh would go on forever.

Brooke sat there staring at her screen, the slide show that was popping was all about the history of the internet. Who cares how it came to be, the only thing Brooke cared about was that she got to use it.

She turned to her right and saw Mouth very interested in the whole slide show thing, she giggled a little and turned to her screen.

"What?" Mouth whispered, no one ever wanted to get Mrs. Owen mad. If you did she was the worse, she would give a lecture on interruptions then send you to the office.

"Nothing" she whispered back with a chuckle. Right when Mouth turned back to his screen she felt her phone vibrate, she pulled it out and saw the text. She smiled a little when she read who it was from.

_'Hey, meet me after practice, let's have dinner together. –Luke-'_

_'see ya then, boyfriend ~Brooke~'_ she texted back.

"Miss James, is there an important call you need to make" the teacher said when she noticed her phone.

"No, I was just checking the time" Brooke told her.

"There is a clock right there" she said pointing to it, right when Mrs. Owen put her finger down a girl walked into class.

The girl wasn't very tall, she had green eyes, and her hair was dark and long. She had beautiful shaped lips, something that any girl would be jealous of.

The new student walked up to the teacher and handed her the note, Mrs. Owen looked at it and began to speak.

"Welcome Ms. Baker, you can take a seat next to Brooke" she said pointing to the empty seat to Brooke's left.

Brooke waved to the girl, so she could know where to sit.

The girl walked next to Brooke and placed her bag on the floor, she took out a notebook and listened to the teacher talk.

"Hey, I'm Brooke" she said extending her hand to the girl to shake.

The girl turned to face Brooke and shook her hand "Millicent" she said.

"Nice to meet you, this is Mouth" she said pointing to Mouth on her other side.

Millicent simply smiled at him.

"So you're new, right?" Brooke questioned, Millicent nodded her head. "Well I was the new kid till now, well me and my sister. Anyways I know how much it sucks, so if you want you can sit with us at lunch" Brooke said. She remembered her first day, it was a good thing she had a sister or else she would have been sitting all alone. The other good part was that her sister had met Lucas, so they had lunch with him. That lunch turned out pretty good, who knew that just a little while after they would be going out.

Millicent smiled at Brooke and responded, "that would be great, thanks."

* * *

It was now lunch time, sitting in their usual table was Lucas, Nathan, Haley, Peyton, Junk, Fergie, and Mouth. They all had their food, and they were talking about the rest of the day and how exited they were for Friday's game. Brooke was still no were to be found, the only thing they came up with was that she might be in the bathroom fixing herself.

She walked into the lunch room with Millie, they had bumped into each other in the hall on their way to lunch and Brooke just dragged Millicent to lunch with her. Both girls walked to the line and waited till it was their turn, they got their food paid and walked to sit with the rest. Of course no one knew Millicent except for Mouth, but Brooke really liked the girl so far and she wanted everyone to get to know her.

"Hey Brookie" Haley said looking at her sister, "who's your friend?"

Brooke placed her tray down and sat next to Lucas, Millicent taking a seat next to her. She looked around the table to make sure that everyone was there, once she saw everyone she spoke. "This is Millicent, she's new. Millicent this is everyone" she said waving her hand around.

Everyone said hi and Brooke began to speak again, "this is Lucas, Nathan, Haley my sister, Junk, Fergie, Peyton, Jake, and you already know Mouth" she said pointing to everyone in the order they sat, she began with Lucas at her left.

"It's nice to meet you all" Millicent said, she was still shy.

"So where did you move from?" Haley asked eager to know.

"Well, my parents travel a lot. But the last place we lived was Spain" Millicent said taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Fun" Peyton said, "so you speak Spanish, right?"

"Yes."

"That is so cool" Nathan said.

"Do you have any siblings?" Lucas asked.

Millicent nodded, "I have a brother, he's a year older then me. We were actually suppose to meet for lunch, but I couldn't find him" she stated.

"Cool, so what grade are you in?" Junk asked.

"Junk, she's in my class" Brooke said.

"Oh" Junk said, expecting the answer to be twelfths.

"Actually, that class is mixed" Millicent pointed out, she was right the class had both seniors and juniors. "But to answer your question I'm a junior."

"Really?" Brooke asked shocked. After all she didn't get to ask much during first period, Mrs. Owen was a bitch when it came to talking during presentations.

They were all talking about the game again, but Millicent just looked around for her brother. He was not as social as she was, the boy was a complete nerd. The good thing was that he was good looking.

"Julian" she yelled.

He turned to see his sister sitting with a whole bunch of people, including a very attractive girl. He felt like he couldn't breath when he saw her, but kept walking towards his sister.

"Hey" Millicent said standing up and hugging him, "I looked for you everywhere, where were you?"

Julian broke from his thoughts and looked at his little sister, "I was checking out the broadcasting lab" he told her.

"You're such a nerd" she whispered to him, "sit" she order. Julian did as order.

"Nice to meet you, Julian" Brooke said stretching out her hand, Julian quickly shook his hand. "I'm Brooke" she said when he released her hand, "and this is my boyfriend Lucas" she said pointing to her left. "This is Nathan, my sister Haley, Junk, Fergie , Peyton, Jake, Mouth, and you obviously know Millicent" she said once again today pointing to everyone sitting around the table.

"Nice to meet you all" Julian said.

"So I'm guessing you're a senior" Nathan said giving him a smile.

"Yeah" Julian answered.

"What classes do you have?" Peyton asked.

"Well today I had, English and Math. After lunch I have…" he pulled out a paper, after giving the paper a glance he looked back to everyone "computers and World History."

"Fun, what about tomorrow?" she asked.

He once again looked at his paper and began to tell them, "French, Broadcasting, Biology, and Gym" he said.

"Hey, you'll have gym with Nathan" Haley pointed out, and Nathan gave him a fake smile.

"What about you, Millicent?" Brooke questioned.

"Millie" she said before telling her- her classes, "I just had Computers with you" she pointed out, "then I had Biology. Tomorrow I have, Dance, Geography, Math, and Gym" she fished and took a sip of her water.

"Hey, we'll have Gym together" Haley told her with a smile.

"Cool" Millie said.

"We would've probably had English together, but you have eleventh grade English" Brooke pointed out, " I have it with Haley and Luke."

They all continued to talk about the classes they had in common and what not, Julian had only one class with one of them- it being Gym with Nathan. Millie had one with Haley and one with both Brooke and Mouth. Brooke being the person that she is was super exited about the new kids, in a way she wouldn't be called new girl anymore. That alone was hell of a good thing for her.

* * *

"Hey" Lucas said walking up to his girlfriend.

Brooke was talking to Millie, she bumped into her after class and decided to walk with her.

"Hey you" Brooke said giving him a hug and a quick peck, "so I'll talk to you later" she said waving to Millie.

"So I was thinking we should go out today" Lucas pointed out.

"Oh yeah" she said.

"yeah, you remember that time I was going to take you to breakfast?" he questioned her, Brooke nodded. "Well it never happened, so I was thinking today we spend the day together. Maybe later we can go to lunch."

"Well lead the way" she said, and felt his arm wrap around her waist.

Just as they were walking to his car she spotted her sister, Brooke quickly told Lucas to hold on and ran to her. She at least had to tell her that she would not be home today. Yeah their aunt Becky wasn't home, but they still had to tell each other. Jake was one to worry, he was always trying to keep the girls on track. A big thing for him was making sure that they were home safe before he went to bed. "Haley" she yelled running to her.

"Brookie, what's up?" she questioned when her sister reached her.

"I'm going out with Lucas, I won't be home for dinner. Can you tell Jake that, please" she told her, when she got a nod from her sister she quickly hugged her and left to Lucas.

"What was that about?" She questioned walking up from behind Haley.

"God, you scared me" Haley said jumping and placing her hand over her heart.

"Come on Hales, it was just a question" Peyton said wrapping her arm around her shoulder in a semi hug.

When she felt Peyton let her go she began to speak again, "she was just telling me that she was going to spend the day with Lucas" she said with a smile. She _was_ happy that her sister was happy, she loved to see her smile and laugh.

Peyton simply nodded, "so does Nate know about Mr. Hotness?"

"What are you talking about?" Haley questioned her.

"You know Sean, I saw you guys today" she pointed out.

"You saw who?"

"No one, she saw no one" Haley answered him quickly, if there was something she didn't want- it was drama.

"But Peyton said-"

Haley reached him and gave him a quick kiss, "Nothing" she said trying to convince him, "she said nothing."

"Are you hiding something?" Nathan questioned her.

"No" Haley answered quickly.

"I'm gonna go" Peyton said pointing back with her thumb, then she just turned around and started walking.

"So do you want a ride?" he asked her sweetly.

"Actually I drove today, Jake doesn't have a car. Still. But maybe you can come over later" she said trying to flirt.

"K" he said, he then reached down and kissed her deeply. "I'll see you later."

She then turned around and walked to her car. She had to make sure to find Jake first, she was his ride home.

* * *

Brooke and Lucas sat on the sand just looking at the waves, their trip was so unexpected that they had nothing with them. Except maybe books, but who wanted book in a beach. They were there to have fun, to actually enjoy a date.

Lucas stood up and took her hand to raise her to her feet, "let's go" he said.

Brooke was on her feet next to him as they walked, "where are we going?"

"Just on a walk" he said, he turned to face her. He couldn't believe that his girlfriend was so beautiful, the sun hit her face and framed it so beautifully. Her eyes just glowed with the sun rays, and her hair flew with the wind sending her grape smell towards him. He smiled at her "it always looks really romantic in movies, and I know we can make it work."

Brooke leaned her hear on his shoulder as they kept walking hand in hand.

After walking for about thirty minutes, they decided to head back. They didn't want to got to far, Brooke had to be home on time. He still held her hand as they walked back towards his car.

"So your birthday's coming up, what do you want?"

Brooke shot her head up to look into his gorgeous blue eyes, every time she looked at him she was lost in them. "As long as I have you, and Haley, and Jake I'll be happy."

The answer made Lucas' heart jump out of his chest. The girl was so perfect, she was so sweet and caring. Family was very important to her, and he knew that as long as she had her sister with her she would be the happiest girl on earth.

The sun was shinning perfectly, the wind was there to match it. Everything felt so perfect at the time, "I love you" he said when he stopped to look at her.

Brooke looked back at him and knew that she felt the same way, how was it possible that she lived so long without this man "I love you too."

Lucas looked into her eyes, and grabbed her face in his palms bringing her closer to him. Then next thing he was doing was kissing her passionately, the kiss was deep and full of love and passion. she felt his tong rubbing her bottom lip and she granted the entrance, he gladly took and deepened the kiss. If you were looking form a far you could see the perfect couple kissing on the beach, all you could see was the outline of their bodies which molded so perfectly together.

He pulled apart when he needed some air and looked deep into her eyes, "let's get something to eat Brooke James" he told her.

Brooke leaned on his side and took his hand as they walked back to his car.

* * *

**So there it is, I hope you like it. I know it's short, and that I promised to have it yesterday. But everything was complicated so I couldn't but I got it today. I really hope you like the whole Millie and Julian thing, they do travel a lot so if you don't like them just tell me and they will be shipped off. I do have to say that there will be Brucas in the end, I love them together and Julian will just be there as a rival to Lucas. Also I want to thank everyone who reviewed my last chapter, thank you guy- **

**Haley Elizabeth James-I love you and always love your comments, thanks they mean a ton.**

**JustLikeBrookeDavis- I love your new name and I'm glad you picked that one, although I did like your old one as well. Thanks for all your reviews.**

**Dianehermans- you were my first review and I kept going because of that, so thanks and I'll always try to keep you happy as I will try to keep the rest of my readers happy. Thanks.**

**julchen1515- your review was for chapter one, but I'm going to thank you in this one. Thanks and I hope you keep reading.**

**Also guys I was read Haley Elizabeth James' story and is really good, it's called you found me , and if you have a story that you would like for me to read just tell me. I love reading. **

**Thanks again, and please review. =D  
**


	18. I Saw the Kiss

Chapter 18-

Brooke being the social person that she was had decided to invite Millie to get ready with them; she really like the girls and she wanted her to feel welcomed. Brooke knew how much it sucked to be the new kid; it was good thing she had her cousin to help her adjust along with her sister. The game was tonight, and Brooke was extremely exited about it. She managed to get the girls in the squad to learn a new routing , she was so exited to show it to the school.

At the moment they were in her room getting ready, Brooke like always looking in the mirror. Haley was sitting on the bed applying on some lip gloss, while looking in a hand held mirror. Millie was sitting on the bed as well but she was just looking at how Brooke really took the time to paint a blue 'R' on her cheek with black outline. The girl was really dedicated, and she loved to cheer for such a good team.

"So Millie you said you dance right?" Haley asked once she was done, she closed the mirror and placed it next to her.

"Yeah" Millie answered her.

"I heard Rachel's in that class" Brooke pointed out with a disgust face.

"How long have you been dancing?" Haley asked her.

"I have been dancing ballet since I was four" she said proudly. She _was_ proud, she worked really hard to be the best at it. But ever since they moved she had not been dancing. Sure it had only been a week or so, but she loved to do it. She still had not found a dancing school that she liked, the one she went to in Spain was one of the best in the country.

Brooke turned around and looked at both girls sitting on her bed, "Millie, why don't you join the squad" she said it more like a statement then a question.

"No thanks" Millie said shyly. Cheering was very robotic and she loved to just dance slow, and with a frame and good posture.

"Why not?" Haley asked her.

"I'm not very good at the whole cheer thing" she told them, "besides Julian would flip out if he saw me wearing that" she said pointing to Brooke's cheer outfit.

"Come on, it's going to be so much fun" Brooke said.

Julian was a nerd, a big one at that. But he still fit in with the cool kids, something that Millie never really understood. He was always part of the math club, and the media club, he was also part of the school paper. The boy was one of the biggest nerds, but his looks got him far. He was always hanging out with the cool kids, no one understood that. But to Julian it didn't matter, he considered them his friends. He also knew exactly how the popular crowd was, and he never let his little sister be part of that. Sure she sat with them at lunch, but he was constantly watching her every move. He didn't want her to be part of the cheerleaders because he considered them sluts, and he definitively didn't want her to go out with a jock because they were only after one thing.

Millie continued to think about it, she picture all the things that Julian would say. She could see him trying to reason with her, but she liked this girls. Brooke was really nice and sweet, she was the first person to actually make her feel comfortable. She was the first person to talk to her, and they quickly became friends. Millie looked at Haley who gave her a pleading smile, "fine" Millie said, but I make no excuses for my dancing. I'm a classical dancer and cheer is the furthest thing from that.

Brooke quickly hug Millicent and Haley joined the hug.

"Wow, if we weren't related I would so be turned on right now" Jake said. He was walking passed the room to go downstairs when he saw the door open and all the girls pilled up in a hug.

The girls all pulled away from the hug, Brooke stood up and looked up at him "shut it, Jake" she said.

Jake raised his hands in surrender "hey, I was just saying. I'm pretty sure that Lucas and Nat would be pretty turn on right about now" he pointed out with a chuckle.

"Shut up" Haley yelled at him.

"I'll see you girls later" he said, he turned around and left. He had to go to school and get ready for the game. They usually had to be there one to two hours early.

Brooke turned back to the girls and smiled, she clapped her hands together and walked to her closet. Both Haley and Millie looked at each other confused.

* * *

"Hey, can I talk to you" Peyton asked when she saw the girls all talking in the hall.

"Yeah" she said, she turned to face the rest of the girls "I'll be right back" she said and received nods.

They walked around the corner of the hall, and Peyton stopped to look at her.

"So what is it" she said.

"Haley, I'm really sorry about that night at the party" she said, she was really ashamed of what she did. That was not her place but she still said it, and now she had to make things right. Haley was still talking to her as if nothing happened, but Peyton knew that she did something wrong.

"It's fine Peyton, I'm glad you did" she told her honestly. "I mean thanks to your comment I finally told Nathan all about Brandon" her voice was sweet and soft, then she felt relived "I can't tell you now good it felt to tell someone other then Alice." Haley smiled at her, she could see that Peyton was truly sorry. She wasn't mad at her for what she said, she was actually mad at her for the way she said it. It was as if she had to compete with her, and to Haley it really didn't matter. "Come here" she said opening her arms and giving her a hug, Peyton was a good friend but you should never get her drunk if you don't want other so know your secrets.

They walked back to the group, one they got close enough they saw that everyone had arrived. All the girls just talked among themselves.

Haley and Peyton walked over to Brooke and talked with her and Millie.

"Okay girls" Brooke said clapping her hands to get their attention, when all the girls were quiet and looking at her she began to talk. "As you can see we have a new girl, this is Millie" she said giving Millie a side hug. "She will be cheering with us from now on, I know that the routing is done but Haley and I tough her the whole thing before coming. Rachel you will go back between Bevin and Theresa, and Millie will go between Peyton and Haley" Brooke pointed out.

"What about you?" the feisty red head asked with an attitude.

"I will be in the front, just do the routine a it was. But when it's time for the lifts, Haley and Peyton will step up and raise me, and Millie will walk under me to be in front and center. Theresa, and Bevin will raise Rachel, and the rest of you will do like it was planned" she said explaining the whole routine changes. "Everybody go it?"

The girls all nodded and walked to the gym, they walked in and placed their bags on the side and sat on the bleachers while the guys practice shooting.

"Hello" Millie said into her phone, apparently it had vibrated while they were walking in. She listened to what the other person was saying, then responded. "I told you I was going to the game with Brooke and Haley" she said, "I'll be home later, bye" and with that she hung up. When she raised her head she noticed Brooke and Haley both staring at her, "Julian" she simply said and both girls nodded understanding everything.

The gym was still empty except for the girls and the team who was currently practicing.

"Hey girls" he said walking over to them.

"Hey Mouth" Brooke said, "you remember Millie" she pointed to Millie.

Mouth's heart stopped at her sight, the girl was definitively gorgeous. She looked so hot in her cheer uniform, her hair was done in a pony tail as was every other girl in the squad. Brooke had made it a rule, that on game days their hair was up in a pony tail, she didn't want anyone's hair flying all around during their routines. He still couldn't take his eyes of her, he just smiled and nodded.

"You can pick your jaw of the floor now, Mouth" Nathan said picking up the ball next to him. Haley quickly slapped his arm. "Ouch" he said looking at her. He then turned around and walked back, he really didn't want to get yelled at and loose playing time.

"I'll see you around" Mouth said, he turned around and walked over to the table to set his things up.

* * *

The game was in full swing, they were about two minutes away from half time and the Ravens were killing it. The girls just cheered as loud as they could on the side, most of them just smiling the whole time.

The guys were playing extremely good tonight, and they looked really good. The ringer went off announcing half time and the guys walked back to the coach, who lead them into the locker room to cool off a little and talk about the next half.

The girls walked to the middle of the court once the boys had left, standing in their respective positions Brooke gave Mouth the signal.

"Here are the Tree Hill Raven's cheerleader with the new routine choreographed by the one and only Brooke James" Mouth said into the microphone, the he clicked play and the music blasted through the gym.

The song was a mix of different songs put together by the one and only Peyton, it sounded so great and the songs and rhythms went great with the moves. Once they were done the whole gym began to clap and the girls threw the ones in the air up and caught them, giving the crowd a few smiles they walked out of the gym to their bags and grabbed a drink.

The boys walked back to the gym and began to play the second half, passing the ball and making basket after basket the crowd went while.

By the end of the second half everyone was cheering, the Ravens were winning 65-43. This was definitively their best season yet, and there was no way they wouldn't make it to state. They had only ten second left on the clock, and the crowd was cheering extremely loud. The boys stepped back to the court and had their minds set on making at least one more point.

Jake passed the ball in to Lucas, who dribbled it a couple of times and quickly passed it to Nathan to dunk it. But at the last moment Nathan passed the ball to Lucas who passed it to Jake who threw the three pointer. At that moment everything seemed to move slow, everyone in the gym looked at the ball as it slowly traveled to the basket. When they ball swooshed in the crowd went while, and about a half second after the buzzer went off.

The girls ran to the court and hugged their cousin, who had just made the last basket of the game. They couldn't be happier for him. Jake hugged both girls at the same time and picked them up, he then quickly put them down and they made their way to their boyfriends. That's when he saw her, she was walking towards him with a huge smile. When she reached him she hugged him and held on to him tight as he did the same. He pulled away and looked into her green eyes, and what happened next was something he couldn't explain. He leaned to her and kissed her, in the moment he was so exited about their victory that he didn't think about it, he just went for it. Little did he know that the kiss would be returned, as they stood there kissing in the middle of the court everyone around them was hugging and celebrating.

Brooke finally found Lucas and jumped in his arm, he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. "You did it" she said and kissed him. Lucas returned the kiss, he then pulled away for air and put her down. He looked at her and kissed her again, he didn't know what he did to deserve her but he had her with him.

On the other side was Haley and Nathan who were just talking by now, they had already celebrated like everyone. He loved that she was always there for him, always supporting him and proud of his achievements. God knows that's something he didn't have at home, so being with her made everything better.

When most of the people had left the gym, they walked to they were all in the middle of the court talking. Lucas told them that they should go to the café and celebrate, and everyone was more then happy to celebrate the victory.

They all drove in different cars to the café, after all they all drove to the game. They couldn't just leave their cars.

* * *

At this point they were all done with their food and just sitting in the café talking, most of the talk had been about the game and the girls routine.

"So you're a cheerleader" Lucas asked Millie who was sitting across from him next to Haley.

"Yeah" Millie said shyly, "Brooke convinced me to do it, then she and Haley tough me the routine in like two hours."

"Wow, you two are good" Jake said, "the last I saw you were all on top of each other" he pointed out at the memory of the girls hugging.

"What?" Nathan asked.

"That sound's really hot" Tim said earning a slap on the back of the head by Nathan.

"What" he complained, "three cheerleaders on top of each other, tell me that's not hot" time defended.

"Shut up, Dim" Brooke said.

"It was just a hug" Haley said sweetly, she actually liked Time. Sometimes she actually felt bad for him, everyone was so mean. But the guys _was _as dumb as they come, and he did try to flirt with her when Nathan wasn't around. Which was something that really made her mad, but it didn't mean that people had to be so mean to him all the time.

"Whatever" Jake said, "like I said if we weren't related I would've though it was hot" he told them. Nathan and Lucas both looked at him weird, "I told them that you guys would have thought it was hot, but they didn't say anything" Jake stated.

"Can we please talk about something else" Brooke said trying to change the subject, this was getting way to weird.

"How about Millie's brother" Peyton said.

"Or what about your kiss with Jake here" Lucas said waving his hand at Jake.

Peyton's cheek turned red at the mentioned of the kiss, they had not talked about it. It was actually something that just happened at the moment, but she did like it _a lot._

"What kiss?" Haley asked confused.

"I saw the kiss" Nathan said.

"When?" she asked turning to face him.

"When you gave me a hug" he told her touching her nose, "you were looking the other way."

"It was one _hot_ kiss" Brooke pointed out.

"I can't believe I missed it" Haley said with a pout.

Jake and Peyton just looked at each other while the rest talked about their very intimate moment.

"So are you two going out now?" Brooke asked. She really wanted to know the answer. They had been playing this game for way to long, everyone could see that they liked each other. Why couldn't they just admit it and be together.

"Are we?" Jake asked Peyton.

"Do you want to be?" She asked him.

"Aww you guys this is so cute" Brooke said, "just ask Jake."

"Fine" he said glaring at Brooke, "Peyton, would you like to be my girlfriend?" he asked.

Everyone awed and waited for Peyton to answer, but it seemed that her words weren't coming out.

"Peyton" Brooke said softly.

"Yes" Peyton said, "I'd love to."

The rest was all awes and them talking about the new couple in the group, they were too cute together. Brooke had been trying to get them together for a while, by making them go to the dance together and usually paring them up.

They were all laughing when they heard the bell from the door ring, and there he was Julian. He walked in with another guy, no one could believe that he had made a friend so quickly.

"Millie" He said shocked at what his sister was wearing, "what are you wearing?"

"Julian" was all Millie said.

* * *

**I know that was a crappy place to finish but I will try to update it by Sunday, if not then Monday. I want to thank everyone for your reviews thanks so much. I hope you guys like Millie, and next chapter will be with Julian talking to Millie about the whole cheer thing. Which I can honestly say wont be good, considering Brooke's there and she will do anything to defend her new fond friend.**

**dianehermans- thanks for your review they are always so cute, and I know you love Brucas so I try to put them there for you. But I do like to put Haley and Brooke more then anything.**

**JustLikeBrookeDavis- I really like your stories, and like I said I will review them, but I want to finish what you have so far. I had tons of fun writing the Brucas beach scene, it was so cute and beautiful. I hope you like this chapter, but it's mostly just Braley.**

**Haley Elizabeth James- Sean will try but he won't succeed.**

**I would like to know if you like the whole Mouth/Millie relationship thing, if not I wont pair them. But I love Mouth and really want him to be happy.**

**Thanks again and please review- =D**


	19. Bevin

**This chapter includes an idea by- JustLikeBrookeDavis, I really liked your idea and I used it.**

Chapter 19-

"Millie" He said shocked at what his sister was wearing, "what are you wearing?"

"Julian" was all Millie said.

Everyone turned to look at Millie, who at the moment looked extremely nervous. It looked like she was about to puke, the color from her face had completely drain as she sat there trying to find the words to tell her brother.

"What are you wearing?" he asked again.

"Julian, dude, chill" the boy said walking up to him and placed his hand on Julian's shoulder to calm him down.

Lucas shrugged his hand and remained fixed on Millie, "Sean, this does not involve you. What are you wearing Millie?"

Millicent stood up and rubbed her hands together, still nervous she managed to speak. "It's a cheer uniform" she told him with a semi smile.

"Why?"

"Okay buddy" Brooke said standing up from her chair, "I know that she's your sister and all, but you have no right to treat her like that" she told him harshly. Her voice then turned sweet as she turned to Millie, "Millie is now a Raven, and she will rock the school with us."

"She can't" Julian told her.

"And why not?" Brooke questioned, "because you don't want her to?" she was loosing her temper with this nerd.

"Guys" Haley said, "look" she said looking at Julian, "I hate to say this, but Millie has her own life and she has to live it how she wants. And you" she turned to Brooke, "you need to calm down and sit. This is a family matter and you can't interfere with that." She then sat down.

Brooke took her seat and calmed down as her sister suggested, she couldn't help but to yell at Julian. Every time she saw someone in a family treating the other with disrespect she felt something inside her, it was probably because she didn't have hers but would do anything to have them.

Julian turned to face Sean, "let's go" he told him suddenly loosing his appetite.

"Yeah" Sean said, "see ya Monday" he told Haley before they turned around and walked out the door.

"I think I should go" Millie said, she quickly stood up. "Thanks for everything" she told them and walked towards the door.

"Poor girl" Brooke said, "he seems to really have an attitude."

* * *

It was Saturday morning and when she heard her alarm go off, she quickly stood up and turned it off. Walking towards her closet she grabbed some sweats and a sweatshirt and put them on, she grabbed her shoes and her cell phone and walk downstairs. It had become a daily thing for her to do with him, every morning at about five Nathan would pick her up for a morning run.

She looked at her phone and saw the text from him telling her that he was outside, she got up and walked to the door and straight out.

"Good morning beautiful" he told her.

"Good morning to you too" she replied with a smile, then she reached up to him and gave him a good morning kiss.

Once she pulled away he looked at her, "you ready" he got a nod from her and they started making there way to the beach.

They ran for a while until they reached the point where they wanted to be, when the reached it Nathan sat on the sand and she followed. As they watch the sunrise it was as if the world disappeared and it was just the two of them. But Haley knew that she had to tell him, she had been feeling guilty about it all for the past four days. She knew that he was suspicious about it, he heard Peyton tell her about him. But the name was never mentioned.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"You seem tense" he pointed out, then he brought her to a side hug.

She leaned there for a little before she managed to get the words out, "I have to tell you something" she said. Haley felt his hand release her and turned to face her.

"What is it?" he asked full of concern.

She inhaled deeply then exhaled, "you know on Wednesday when you heard Peyton and I talk after school" she question, he nodded. "Well we were talking about Sean" she let out a little nervous, she was scared to look at his face. But most of all she was scared of the way he would react.

"What were you talking about?" he asked. His postured tighten, and he looked tense.

"Well he, he kinda walked me to class" she told him. She didn't let him get a word in before she started babbling, "Nathan you have to know that I have no feelings for him. He just started walking with me, I didn't even know he was there. And I really wanted to tell you but I was scared of the way you might react, because I know you don't like him. Oh god I'm so stupid, I don't know why I didn't-"

"Haley!!" he yelled with his arms on her shoulders and shaking her lightly. When he finally got her attention he looked deep into her brown eyes, "it's okay" he said softly, "you can tell me anything" with that he pulled her to a hug.

In a way he understood why she thought he would be mad, her last boyfriend wasn't one of the best. She was scared that he would react in a harsh way, that he would yell or even hit her.

"Let's go back" he told her standing up, when he was up her gave her his hand to take and stand up.

* * *

Later that day Brooke was up and ready to go, she had managed to get Millie to meet her, Haley, and Peyton at the river court. She wanted to teach Millie the cheers they did during games, and it was way better to do it on the weekend then to waist valuable practice time.

When she and Haley reached the court they found Millie sitting on the picnic table talking to Mouth, they were deep into a conversation.

"Hey girls" they heard a voice from behind.

"Hey you" Brooke said smiling at Peyton, "so, your ready to teach ballerina girl our cheers?" Peyton just nodded with a smile at Brooke's nickname for Millie.

The walked over to where Millie and Mouth were sitting and talked with them for a while. A little while after Nathan and Lucas appeared with Jake and Skills, the boys walked over to them and talked with them.

"So are you going to cheer for me" Lucas whispered to Brooke. He was currently standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist, and his head resting on her shoulder.

"You know it" she told him with a giggle.

"Okay gentlemen, let's get this show on the road" Nathan said clapping his hands, "I'll kiss you, _later_" he told Haley after he kissed her.

the guys walked to the court and listen to what their captain had to say, while they practice the girls tough Millie the routines and Mouth just announced and watched.

* * *

It was finally Monday, and the week would be once again begin. No one was exited about this , but it was a responsibility and they had to do it.

Walking from homeroom to first period Brooke saw Millie and walked up to her, she had really grown to like the girl in so little time. There was something about Millie that made her feel secure and comfortable. "Millie" she yelled walking closer to her.

"Hey, Brooke"Millie said.

"So, where are you going now?" she asked.

"Dance" Millie said, "you?"

"French."

Both girls walked together to their next class, not realizing of people watching them. One of them being an evil red head who hated Brooke, and now hated her more for placing Millie in the squad. Rachel couldn't stand them, she actually couldn't stand any one at school. Something that wasn't hard to avoid since no one could stand her.

* * *

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and one, two, three, four, five, no, no, no, Rachel you clap the you raise your left arm" Brooke yelled at her getting frustrated with Rachel not getting the moves right.

This practice seemed to be going for the longest time, and it had actually only been twenty minutes. Rachel would not get the moves right, and every time someone corrected her she would yell and tell them how she knew what she was doing.

"You know what" Brooke said, "take a break" she then walked over to her bag and grabbed her bottle of water.

"Brookie, you need to calm down. You know she's doing it on purpose, she's just mad that you added Millie to the squad" Haley said sitting next to her sister and rubbing her back.

"Hey girls" a very pepped Bevin said.

"Hey Bevin" Haley replied looking up at her.

"I was just coming here to ask about Alice, and Jill. I really liked them, and I was wondering if they would be visiting anytime soon?"

Brooke looked at Bevin, the question was actually very comforting. She loved her friends, and more then that she loved it when others liked t hem too. "I talked to Jill yesterday, she says they're okay, but they really want to come visit soon" Brooke said.

"Cool, can't wait to see them again" Bevin said.

"Yeah" Brooke said with a half smile.

The rest of the girls came and gather around the group, Brooke never told them to form to start practice again so they just walked towards Brooke and the rest.

"What are you guys talking about?" Theresa asked when she reached them.

"Schools" Bevin said.

"Schools?" Theresa asked confused, they were in school. Why talk about it?

"Yeah, Haley and Brooke were telling us how they want to go to Standford" Bevin blabbed out. the girls just couldn't control herself. She would just answer questions without thinking.

"That's so cool" Rachel said in a sarcastic voice.

Of course Bevin didn't hear the sarcasm and continued talking, "I know right, it's where their parents went. They would be so proud" she held her hand to her heart.

"You mean they will be" Rachel said.

"No, would be. They passed when they were little" Bevin said, when she realized what she had said Brooke was already half way out the gym. She looked over a Haley and saw her glaring at her shaking her head, the next thing she heard was the door slamming. She saw Haley get up, Bevin gave her an apologetic glance. But that really wasn't going to help at the moment.

"Can you get our bags and drop them off at my house" Haley told Peyton, Peyton quickly nodded and signal for her to go.

Haley ran after her sister and found her crying by the car, the sight of her crying broke her heart. She had worked so hard to protect her, all she wanted to do now was hit Bevin for her stupid comment.

"Brooke, honey. Are you okay?"

Brooke didn't respond, she stood there crying for a little bit long. The only thing Haley could think of doing was rub her back, and that is exactly what shed did. She knew too well that Brooke would not talk about it until she was ready, sometimes that was longer then she wanted it to be.

"Can I have the keys?" Brooke managed to say, the next thing she remembers was her sister handing her the keys. She got in the car and drove of, all she wanted was to be alone.

Haley walked back in the school and saw all the girls talking, she walked up to them and clapped her hands to get their attention. "Brooke left, so I think practice is over. I will call of you tomorrow morning and tell you where we'll go from there." With that said she walked over to get her bags.

"Is she going to be okay?" Peyton asked her.

"Trust me, this is not a good thing. She isolates herself from the world, she doesn't like to talk about it. And all I can tell you, is that she might not be in school for the rest of the week" Haley told her trying to put both bags over her head so that the strap would cross her. She pulled out her phone and began to text, then she turned to Peyton and they started to walk outside together.

She felt her phone vibrate, she pulled it out and answered it. "Hey... yeah... where are you?" she waited for the other person to answer, "no, it's fine. I'll find my way home, thanks anyways" she hung up and turned to Peyton. "Do you think you can give me a ride?"

"Yeah, let's go" Peyton said, and she began walking towards her car with Haley right by her side. "So, who was that?"

"Oh, Nathan. I was going to ask him to take me, but his at home with his dad, and i really don't want hi

m to get in trouble" she stated.

"Dan" Peyton said pursing her lips, "he's really something."

"yeah"

With that both girls got in the car and dove home, Haley couldn't wait to get there all she wanted was to see her sister. To talk to her, and help her understand that Bevin didn't mean to say that. Bevin was just, well let's just say she is not the brightest crayon in the box. The things she says, sometimes she doesn't think about it. Brooke was hurt, and in a way Haley was the only one who could understand. She was also the only one who could help her with everything, she was her sister and they had been through so much together, this was just another bump in their long journey together.

* * *

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis_- I really liked your idea so I used it in this chapter, I can assure you that the drama for Brooke has just began. I hope you liked this one and like I told you in the PM, Erika will have tons more to do with this.**

**_Smile Please-_ That is his goal, but he will have struggles along the way.**

**_haleydavisbaker- I couldn't send you a PM so I'm going to thank you here, thanks so much for your review, and I really hope you like this chapter._**

**_dianehermans- there wasn't much BRUCAS on this chapter, but there will be in the next ones. He as well as Haley will be there for Brooke._**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- I'm a big Mouth fan, and I want him to be happy. I love him and loved him as mincus hahahaha he was the best. If you have any ideas for him please PM me. _**

**Thanks to everyone and all the review, they make me want to update so much sooner. Please review this one.**


	20. Better'

**Chapter 20-**

After Brooke ran out on the squad, Haley explained that she would call them to tell them about the schedule. No on really knew how it would continue, and only Haley knew how to handle her sister.

Haley got the ride with Peyton and arrived at her house, she got off the car and walked straight upstairs. The fist thing she did was drop both bags in her room, then she quickly walked across the hall and started to knock on the door.

"Brooke" she said, then she knocked again. "Honey, can you please open the door for me" her voice remained soft and sweet. When she didn't hear anything she knocked again, still nothing. At this point she was worried, Brooke could be doing anything and she could not get in. Haley knew well that Brooke liked to be alone when it came to this, but she couldn't help but want to be there and hold her. "Brooke please" she begged.

Inside the room, Brooke was sitting on the bed. Her back rested on the head rest, while her knees where close to her body and her arms wrapped around them. She thought and thought about Bevin's words, she knew that Bevin meant no harm. But she somehow managed to hit her right where it hurt the most, her heart. If there was something Brooke couldn't handle, it was talking about her parents.

Brooke finally managed to get up and open the door, after hearing the worry in her sister's voice. She wanted to be alone, but she still didn't want her sister to be worried about her. She unlocked the door and walked back to the bed, sitting in the same position as before she looked up at her sister walk in.

"Oh Brookie" Haley said walking over to her, she sat next to her and held her close to her.

Brooke couldn't handle it anymore and she let the tears fall from her eyes, she felt so relieved to finally let them out. Nothing at this point could stop her from just letting go of them, she just wanted to release it all.

Haley sat there holding her, not moving at muscle. All she wanted was to make this better for her sister, and all though she wanted to cry along with her she knew she couldn't. She was the strong sister, the one who was there for both of them. The one who managed to make everything better when things were bad, the only one that could get Brooke to open up and release her inner feelings.

They sat there for what seemed like hours, Haley just holding her sister while she cried. Brooke releasing all her tears, while she sobbed at the same time.

"Brooke, honey . Are you ready to talk about it?" She asked her, Brooke shook her head no.

She wasn't ready, all she wanted was to just be there and let it all out. Even if it was for nothing more then a comment, little things always hurt her. Anything that had to do with her parents, always seemed to affect Brooke in a big way.

It was getting dark, and it being only Monday they had school tomorrow. Haley was sure that Brooke would not be attending, she really couldn't handle it. Haley was glad that she had finished all her homework, because she really didn't like getting behind in school. As for Brooke she always got the help she needed, her sister would move the earth if that's what she needed to be done.

"Hey" Haley said in a really soft voice, "I'm gonna go to be, okay" she told her.

Brooke held on to her tight, she really didn't want to be alone. "Can you spend the night here?" she asked, you could hear in her voice that she had been crying.

Haley looked at her, and her heart broke when she saw her. Her eyes were red and puffy, her nose was also red. She looked so tired, and beaten. The only thing she could do was give her a worried smile, and nod. "I'll go change, and I'll be right back to tuck you in" she assured her.

"But will you spend the night" Brooke begged.

"Of course I will" Haley told her, she then turned around and walked to her room.

A few minutes later Haley walked back in and saw Brooke laying down, she was deep in sleep. Haley really didn't want to wake her, and it was a good thing Brooke was wearing sweats. She walked closer to her sister, and managed to get her under the covers. Once she was done with that she gave her a kiss on the fore head, "I love you" she said and walked to the other side to get her self in bed.

* * *

The next morning Brooke woke up and looked next to her, she was glad to see that Haley was still there. She looked at the alarm clock on her side table, and it read 6:10 A.M. Brooke was actually surprised that Haley was still in bed, she was usually on her way to tutoring at this time. The next the she was Haley's phone vibrating, the phone looked as if it was having a seizure. Brooke gently reached the phone and looked at the screen, but just as she was about to pick up the other person hung up.

Haley moved a little, she then flutter her eyes open and saw her sister. She was glad to see that Brooke looked better, at least she had a good night's sleep. But Haley couldn't help but notice that she had her phone, "why do you have my phone?" she asked.

Brooke looked like she was just caught with her hand in the cookie jar, she looked at Haley and managed to get the words out. "I… You… It, It was ringing" was all she said.

Haley sat up and looked at her, "who was it?"

"Nathan" Brooke let out quickly, she then handed Haley her phone and rested her head on her pillow once more.

Haley looked through her phone and saw all the missing calls, she also had tons of missing text. She had completely forgotten about their morning run, and with that Nathan texted like crazy wondering what had happened. She opened the last text and began to reply it, _'Brooke's not feeling well, I'll talk to you later'_ with that she click send and turned to her sister. She looked at Brooke and once again she was concerned.

Brooke was just laying there staring at the ceiling, she seemed really out of it. But Haley knew that if she didn't push her, Brooke would never do it on her own.

Haley got up and looked at her, "get up" she said slapping her leg lightly. "It's time for school."

Brooke managed to brake from her thoughts and looked at her sister, she gave her a the sad puppy eyes. All she wanted was to stay in bed toady, she wanted nothing to do with school. But more then that she wanted nothing to do with the squad.

"Brooke, you can't just hide here" Haley told her.

"Haley, please" Brooke begged. "I promise I'll go tomorrow, I just need sometime to think about it. I also really want to be alone" she said.

Haley looked at her, but she knew that Brooke was telling the truth. Somehow Brooke always needed space, and Haley always managed to make the space she needed smaller. Or in this case time. If it was up to Brooke, she would stay home all week. But Haley wasn't having that, Brooke needed to face this. And she would be there every step of the way for her.

"Fine" Haley told her with a harsh tone, "But tomorrow you have to be there" she pointed at her with her finger.

Brooke nodded her head and jumped to her sister, she gave her a big bear hug and kissed her cheek. "I love you" she told her.

"I love you too" Haley said, "I'll see you after class."

"Wait, Haley" Brooke yelled at her sister who was about to walk out the door, when she saw her turn around she continued. "Tell the squad that practice is cancelled for today" she pointed out.

Haley nodded and walked out the room to get ready for her day, she quickly took a shower and got dressed. Then she called Nathan and asked him if he could come and pick her and Jake up, because she would be leaving Brooke the car just in case she changed her mind.

* * *

Lunch time came around and the first thing Haley did was text Brooke, she really wanted to know how her sister was doing but she knew that Brooke wouldn't want to talk. She pulled out her phone and asked her how she was doing. She the felt someone next to her and she turned to see none other then Lucas.

"Hey" Lucas told her, "so, how's she doing?" he asked concerned.

"Better" Haley said.

"Do you think I can go visit her today?" he asked. Lucas really wanted to see her, and be there for her. But yesterday when he saw the whole thing happen, Haley told him to give her space.

Haley looked at him while they grabbed their food, she really wanted to say no. But then again she knew that seeing him would make Brooke more then happy. She put all her food on her tray and walked to their usual table, once she placed her tray down she answered him. "I think she would love that" Haley said, and she was being honest.

"Hey you" Nathan said sitting next to her, he lean down and gave her a quick kiss. Then he managed to sit between her and Jake. "So how is Brooke?" he asked her.

"Better" she said again.

"I think we should all go to your house today, and we can totally cheer her up" Peyton suggested.

"I don't know you guys" Haley quickly said, she didn't think it would be a good idea.

"Come on Hales" Nathan said, "she would love to have us there" he stated.

Haley thought about it, she didn't know what to say. She didn't want to be rude to her friends, they were just concerned about the whole situation. But she also didn't want Brooke to do something she didn't want, and having all this people over might be a little to much for her to handle at the moment.

"I think it's a great idea" Millie jumped in, she only knew Brooke for a short time. But she really liked the sisters, they always made her feel like she was part of their click.

"I'll give you the answer later today" Haley said. She wanted to ask Brooke first, but she also wanted to be a surprise.

"Fine" Peyton said, but if I don't get my answer by fourth period we are all going" she told her.

Haley nodded her head and continued to eat.

Everyone continued to talk, the big topic this morning seemed to be them and Rachel. They all expressed how much they hated the girl, and how they needed to be prepared. Rachel now had valuable information, and she would probably use it in a bad way. They also talked about Bevin and her big mouth. They got that she never thought about what she said, but still sometimes her actions had huge consequences.

* * *

**Okay so I really have to apologize for this chapter, it's no the best but I really need help on it. It's also really short but the next will be so much better, I promise.**

**_ JustLikeBrookeDavis- just like I said on the PM I am really sorry if you don't like spoilers, I just really needed someone to tell my idea to. If you don't like that you can just tell me and I'll keep it to myself, then you'll be surprised with the chapters._**

**_Sophiannabella- I also love the sister LOVE, it reminds me of me and my sister. And this chapter really made me miss my sister, I really hope you like it._**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- I really have a blast reading your reviews and PM just like JustLikeBrookeDavis, you guys always have great ideas. Thanks._**

**_dianehermans- I know you like Brucas, so they will be back next chapter. I just wanted to express how Haley feels about her sister during this chapter._**

**_ILovesarahSophia- I know you didn't review this chapter, but I still want to thank you for your review. I really hope you like it._**

**_Smile Please- Thanks again for your review, and I really hope you enjoy the rest of the story. _**

**Like I said earlier I need help with this next chapter, I really want to know what you guys think. Should I have everyone go visit Brooke or not? And if so, Should Haley tell them to go, or should they just go and surprise Brooke? Please, Please, Please, help me with this, the sooner I get answers the sooner I can update. Thanks and take care. =D**


	21. I'll Always Protect You

**Thanks for all the review guys, they really help me know what it is you want and what I should write next. **

**I have to give credit to me by all of you, but mainly JustLikeBrookeDavis, as you'll see I changed some of the things but it's still there. THANKS- 3**

**_Sophiannabella- I really hope you like this chapter, there is lot's of Brooke. Also there will be more of her for then next few chapters, they will be all about her dealing with Bevin's big mouth._**

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- What can I say, I always love your ideas and end up using them somehow. I used it here and I hope you like it, even though I did change it a little. I just really got carried away with the whole Brucas/Naley thing._**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- I really like your Naley idea, and I will definitively be using it in one of the next chapters._**

**_Dianehermans- I glad you liked the whole Haley comforting Brooke thing, there is Brucas in this chapter. I really hope you like it. _**

Chapter 21-

Haley walked out of school to find no one, she was one of the few people still left at school. She hated that she had to leave Brooke along for such a long time, but she had tutoring session with Tim. Haley was really applied into helping him, she knew the boy had potential he just needed someone to push him. That's where she came in, the one to help him be the best he could.

She looked around hoping to find someone she knew to get a ride, after all she left her car at home and got a ride to school that morning. Giving up on the hope she began to walk, she strapped her backpack and started heading home. It was a good thing it wasn't to far, she really wanted to get there and be with her sister.

Walking through the roads of Tree Hill, she loved the feeling she got when she walked around here. She felt safe, unlike in California. Haley always felt like she needed to watch out when she was walking in the streets of L.A, but here it was different. She could hear cars drive by her and be completely okay with it, not get that feeling that the car might just stop and have someone gab you. Still lost in her thoughts she didn't hear the car driving right next to her, she looked in saw none other than Sean. Yes the Sean, the boy that kept popping up everywhere since that morning at the beach, she looked at him gave him a smile and continued walking.

"Want a ride?" he asked still driving slowly next to her.

Haley shook her head, "no thanks, I only live like two blocks from here" she assured him.

"Come on Haley" he said, "I'm just trying to be a nice guys, it's just a ride. I promise."

Haley stared at him, and decided to just take. What could she loose, she walked over to the car and got in.

"Where to?" he asked.

"Just two blocks from here" she told him once more, "I'll tell you which house it is" she let him know.

* * *

Right after school, Jake got a ride with Peyton to go home. He knew that Haley couldn't be there, and he thought one of them should be there for her.

"Hey" Jake said walking in her room, he then sat on the bed next to her. He tucked her hair behind her ear, "how are you doing today?"

Brooke looked at him, she could see that he was truly concern. It was hard for Brooke to see her family be hurt, but it was even harder to know that they hurt because of her. They were all hurting because she was, she was closing herself and no one could break her from her shell.

"Honey, I really need you to talk to me" Jake told her in a sweet tone.

Brooke looked at him and gave him a smile, she was hoping that the smile would be enough for him to let it go. When she noticed that he wasn't going to move or say anything else she caved, "better" that was all she said.

"That's good" Jake told her, he then brought her closer to him in a side hug.

"I love you" she said, her face against his chest.

"I love you too, Brookie" Jake said.

"I really miss them" she managed to say, but by now she was crying again.

"I know" he told her in a calming voice. He just held her while she cried, something he had never done before. Whenever this happened to Brooke, Haley would be there to get her through it. Jake didn't know what else to say, he didn't know what to do. "I'm sure that they watch over you every day" he managed to get out, "they love you and Haley so much, they would never want to see you like this" he continued. He pulled her away, he held her by her shoulders and looked at her in the eyes. Her beautiful hazel eyes where now red, and extremely tired looking. "They love you" he told her, "and they'll always be here" he placed his hand on her heart, "with you."

Brooke smiled at her cousin, who had managed to say just the right words. The perfect words to get her to smile, the smile that she sure missed using.

Jake grabbed her by the hand and pulled her downstairs, he really wanted her to be out of her room. She had been there since yesterday, and right now she really need to get out.

"Where are we going?" Brooke asked.

Jake still pulling her took he to the kitchen, "we" he said looking at her, "are going to make a cake" he told her.

"A cake?" she questioned.

"Yes, a cake."

"Jake, you can't cook. Let alone Bake" she pointed out.

"True" he said grabbing a bowl and a wooden spoon, "but you, are a great baker" he told her and handed her the things.

"Fine" Brooke said chuckling.

After mixing all the ingredients, and playing around with flour for a while. They looked at each other and where satisfied with their master piece, the cake looked really good. Brooke baked it to perfection, the chocolate cake was all so tender. While she baked it, Jake prepared the frosting. They managed to make a chocolate on chocolate cake, the dark tasty treat sat on the counter while they cleaned the kitchen.

Brooke was just finishing putting everything in it's place when the bell rang, she looked over at Jake with a confused look. Neither one of them was expecting any one, and Haley had a key so she would just walk in.

"I'll get it" Jake told her. He walked passed her and to the front door.

"Hey" he said.

"Hey" Jake responded, "what are you guys doing here?" he questioned.

"Well Haley never told us yes or no, so we decided to just come" Peyton said walking in the house.

"Peyton wait" Jake said, but he was to late. The girl was already halfway to the kitchen.

The rest of the people standing out the door walked in, they settled themselves in the living room and hoped that Brooke would want to see them.

Jake walked in the room last and looked around, he saw all the familiar faces. Lucas, Nathan, Skills, Mouth, Millie, even Fergie and Junk had managed to get there. "Guys, I don't think this is a good idea" Jake told them, "Brooke's still hurt, and I don't think she really wants to see people."

"Hey" Brooke said shyly walking into the room.

"Hey" Lucas said, "how you doing?"

"Better" she said.

"That's what your sister said" he told her, "come here" he tapped the empty spot next to him for her to sit.

Brooke walked over and sat next to him, she looked at him and could see the worry in his eyes. "I'm okay" she whispered to him.

"Okay" he whispered back.

"It smells really good here" Millie pointed out.

"Yeah, we baked a cake" Jake said proudly.

"We?"Peyton questioned.

"Well, Brooke did."

"You bake?" Nathan asked.

"Like a pro" Jake told him.

"Where is Haley?" Peyton asked.

"Tutoring Tim" Nathan answered.

Brooke just sat there with her head rested on Lucas' arm, she looked around but never spoke. It was as if she was there in body, but not in mind. No really seemed to noticed, they were really into their own questions.

After a while of talking they heard a car pull to the curb of the house, the next thing they hear was the door opening. Haley walked in and was shocked to see everyone there, but even more to see Brooke there.

"Hey" Haley said waving at everyone in the living room. She received a nod from everyone, she then walked over to Brooke who was sitting between Lucas and Nathan. "How're you feeling?" she asked her really soft, when she received a nod from Brooke she sat next to her. She looked at everyone and questioned them "so what are you all doing here?"

Peyton sat up and began to answer, "well you never gave me an answer" she pointed out, "so I told everyone to just come and visit Brooke, she needs our support" she told her.

"Thanks" Haley told her with a heartfelt smile.

They all sat and talked abut school for a while, just enjoying each other's company. Every now and then Haley would glance at Brooke to make sure she was okay, then she would jump right back to the conversation.

"How stupid is was Bevin?" Fergie asked. He wasn't there and her really wanted to know.

"So stupid, and the sad part was that this girl" Millie said and paused to think of the name, "Rachel" she said snapping her fingers when she found the name. "This girl Rachel was there, and let me tell you she doesn't look so nice."

Brooke looked over at Millie, the comment hurt her. She stood up and walked to her room, she didn't storm out this time. But you could tell she was pissed, she didn't turn back to say bye or anything else. She just walked up the stairs, and the next thing you heard was her door closing.

Everyone looked at Haley to see if she knew something, no one understood why she had just done that. No one really said anything stupid, or something that might trigger her behavior.

Haley stood up, and looked back at them with an apologetic look. She walked up the stairs and knocked on Brooke's door walking in, she saw Brooke sitting in the same position as the previous day. Crawled up in a ball with her arms wrapped around her legs, she looked so sad. You could hear her sob, and see the tears coming down her face.

She walked over to her sister and sat next to her, Haley wiped a tear form her cheek "what's wrong honey?" she asked her. "You were so happy just a minute ago" she stated.

Brooke looked at her, her eyes once more puffy and red. "I'm scared" she admitted.

"Of what?" Haley asked her.

"Rachel" she admitted, "she knows now" Brooke told her. More tears come down her face and Haley just looked at her with a sad concerned look.

"I won't let her hurt you Brooke" she assured, "you know I'll always protect you" she told her. Haley then pulled closer to her and gave her a hug, she held her tightly for a while letting Brooke cry all over her shirt.

After holding Brooke for what felt hours, Haley looked at her and saw that Brooke had managed to fall asleep on her. Her head rested on her shoulder while she was still crawled up, she managed to get out and she laid Brooke down. Pulling the covers over her body she kissed her forehead when she reached the top. "I love you Brookie" she whispered standing by the door, she then turn the lights off and closed the door behind her.

Haley walked downstairs to see everyone's concerned faces, she was surprised that they were still there. It was now nine at night, but they all managed to care so much to stay. She looked at them and gave them a half tired smile, "I think you guys should go" she said. "It was really nice for you to come, but she's not ready to handle all this."

Everyone understood what she meant, they got up and started to walk to the door.

"Bye" Peyton said, "please call me if you need anything" she told Haley, she then gave her a hug and walked out the door.

Millie, Junk, Fergie, and Mouth all walked out together, they looked a Haley and gave her a hug before walking out. Haley gave them a nod, and turned to see the three remaining boys sitting on the furthest couch. She closed the door and walked over to them, "are you too staying" she said waving her hand between Lucas and Nathan.

"No" Nathan said, "I just wanted to talk to you" he said standing up.

"And I" Lucas said standing up as well, "want to see her before I go."

"Luke" Haley said in a concerned tone.

"Please" he begged, the only thing he wanted was to say goodnight.

"Fine" Haley said, "she's in her room sleeping. If she need's anything, you call me" she pointed at him. Lucas nodded and walked up the stairs.

"I'm gonna go to bed" Jake said walking out the room.

Haley walked closer to Nathan, "so what do you want to talk about" she asked seductively.

"Just us" he said, he sat down and motioned for her to sit on his lap. Doing as told she sat on his lap sideways, her head rested on his shoulder and he played with her hair. "I feel like we haven't talked in forever" he told her.

"I know" she let out, "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" he asked startled.

"Everything" she said lifting her head, "I mean your great, and I feel like I never make the time for you. You don't deserve that, you deserve so much better" she let out.

"Hey" he said lifting her chin with two fingers, "you're more then I deserve. Haley you make me feel like a totally different person" he admitted. "When I'm with you, I want to be better, I want to do good. You do that" he told her.

She smiled at him, "I love you" she told him.

"I love you too" he let out, he then pulled her closer and kissed her deeply. "How'd you get home?" he asked between kisses.

Haley pulled out and looked into his blue eyes, the beautiful eyes that she couldn't lie to. She thought about the right words, but the silence remained longer.

"Haley" he said.

Snapping out she talked, "Sean."

"What?" Nathan asked, not understanding why she needed to be with him.

"It was nothing, Nathan" she said, "I was walking home, and he saw me. He stopped his car and offered a ride, I said no but he insisted. So-"

"He insisted?" he asked cutting her.

Haley nodded her head, "but I promised nothing happened."

"Why didn't you call me?" he asked a little hurt with the whole situation.

"I didn't want to bother you, I mean you gave me a ride this morning" she excused her actions.

"Do you like him?" he asked bluntly.

"What?" she asked shocked, "no."

"Then, why didn't you call me?" he asked again, this time mad at the whole thing.

"I already told you" she said.

"I don't get it, if you don't like the guy then why do you keep on talking to him?" he asked.

"I…I… I don't know" she told him nervous.

"I better go" he said motioning for her to get of.

"Are you mad?" she asked him standing up.

Nathan quickly stood up causing her to flinch, he looked at her confused. Not understanding her behavior at the time, why would she flinch. "Are you scared of me?" he asked her hurt.

Haley shook her head.

"Haley, I need you to tell me. Why did you just jumped back? You looked so scared" he said concerned.

"Brandon" she said.

Nathan could see a single tear making it's way down her cheek, the whole thing made his heart brake. She was scared, but not of him. She was scared that he might react like her ex did.

"Come here" he pulled her to a hug, "I would never hurt you" he told her holding her close.

"I know" she said. she let him hold her for a bit, "I'm sorry" she said to his chest.

"I know" he told her, "just, next time call me. I would never say no" he said.

* * *

Lucas walked into Brooke's room and saw her laying , the cover over her body. He walked over to the side she was facing, he sat next to her body and looked at her. She looked so tired, just looking at her made him sad. Seeing that there really was nothing to do but to be there for her, nothing to say but to just hold her close.

"Hey" he said to her sleeping figure, "Brooke, I need you to know that I'm here. I need you to let me in, pretty girl." He stroked her hair, "I love you" he said.

Brooke felt someone touching her and began to stir, not knowing what she would see next to her she was shocked when her eyes managed to see Lucas. She gave him a half smile "hey" she said.

"Hey" he said back.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, then she looked around worried and scared "where is Haley?" she asked.

"Downstairs with Nathan" Lucas told her, "I wanted to see you" he admitted. Receiving a smile from her he smiled back, he really missed her smile. "I love you" he told her softly.

"I love you too" she said.

"You better go to sleep, Haley said you have to go to school tomorrow" he pointed out. She frowned which made him laugh a little. "I'll be here in the morning to pick you up" he told her.

He began to get up, then he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Turning to walk to the door he heard her.

"Luke" she said.

"yeah" he responded.

"Will you spend the night with me?" she asked.

Lucas turned to face her, he could see her eyes still red and puffy. "What about Haley?" he asked.

"She spent the night with me last night, and she missed her tutoring session and her walk because of it. I think she would love a little brake" she admitted.

Lucas nodded and walked towards her, he kissed her forehead once more "I'll go tell her" he said.

Brooke nodded and rested her head on her pillow once more.

* * *

Making his way to the bottom of the stairs Lucas saw Haley and Nathan at the door, it seemed that she was saying bye to him. Seeing that they were doing nothing other than talking he walked over to them, he looked at them both then focused on Haley. Lucas noticed her eyes and could tell that she had been crying, giving his brother a _you jackass_ face he turned back to her.

Haley smiled at him assuring her that everything was fine. "Did you talk to her?" she asked.

"Yeah" Lucas said, "she wants me to spend the night, she said you really could use a break" he told her sincerely.

Haley looked at him a little worried, but she knew that Lucas loved her sister. She knew that the boy would do anything for her, and with that she nodded her head. She saw Lucas give her a huge smile then he hugged her. With that the next thing she saw was him running up the stairs.

Nathan still stood on the door way, "so he get's to spend the night" he said a little jealous.

"What?" she asked, "you want to spend the night too?" she asked with a flirty tone.

"Yeah" he admitted.

Haley looked at him closely, she wanted him to have a chance to change his mind. When he didn't say anything she spoke again, "fine" she told him pointing her finger at him, "but you have to be quiet, Jake will kill you if he finds out" she told him.

Nathan nodded and walked grabbed her hand pulling her to her room.

* * *

Lucas walked in Brooke's room, just like before she was asleep again. He took of his pants and walked to her bed, crawling in he cuddle close to her and smile when he felt her moving closer to him.

"Thanks" she murmured.

"I'll always protect you" he told her.

With that he held her close to her, while she went right back to sleep. Never did he think he would be this close to her, her scent was driving him crazy. But somehow he managed to calm down, placing a soft kiss on her head he closed his eyes in hope of falling asleep soon.

* * *

**On the next chapter Brooke will be going to school, and she will have to face Rachel and Bevin in cheer practice. Please tell me if there is anything you would like to happen and I'll make sure to somehow add it. Thanks for all your review and please review this chapter. I really liked writing it. **

**Thanks again, and Review =P**


	22. Let Move On

Chapter 22-

"Get out" Haley said in a angry whisper, "I told you. Jake can't know you spent the night here" she said throwing him his show.

"Haley calm down" Nathan said, he put his show one and walked to her "Jake's still sleeping, trust me" he said tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Haley smiled at his gesture, "I know" she said softly. "But you still have to go" she then walked to the door and across the hall. When she reached her destination she opened the door and walked to his side, "Luke" she said softly.

Lucas turned to face her and flickered his eyes a few times, "what is it?" he asked.

"You have to go" she said softly.

Lucas understood what she was saying and quickly got up, he put his clothes on and walked to the door where he saw his brother. Haley walked them outside, making sure Jake didn't hear any of it.

"I'll see you later" Nathan said, he reached and kissed her.

Haley quickly pulled away and pushed him out the door, "go" she whispered. When she saw him turn around she closed the door and walked back upstairs.

It was still early and she had told Tim that they wouldn't be having anymore session's this week, she walked to Brooke's room and laid next to her sister. Just know that her sister had a good night sleep brought a smile to her face, but the thought of today was killing her. She knew that Brooke wouldn't want to go to school and face Bevin and the rest of the girls, but as much as she didn't want to she had to.

* * *

Almost an hour later Jake walked into the room, he smiled when he saw both girls cuddled with each other. He remember when they would visit him, when they were little. They use to always sleep in the same bed and cuddle at night, Jake never understood why they did it. But he never really questioned them.

Jake walked over to them and sat at the feet of the bed, he shook both girls' feet and waited for them to stir a little. When he saw both girls slowly open their eyes he smiled, "good morning pretty girls" he said sweetly.

Brooke smiled back at him, "hey Jake" she said softly.

"You two better get up, or you'll be late" he said patting their legs. He then stood up and walked to the door, he turned to face them again "I still don't have a car, so you have thirty minutes to get ready" he stated.

"You can take the car" Haley yelled at him, he was already out the door but walked back in.

"What about you?"

"Luca's is picking me up" Brooke said.

"I'll call Nathan, or I'll bump with Brooke" she said sitting up.

"Okay then, I'll see you two at school" he said, then he turned around and walked out the room.

* * *

Brooke had managed to go through her first two classes just fine, she was focused on her class and nothing else; As weird as it might be for people to see her quiet, that's what she was for the whole class period. She sat there and took notes, paid attention to her teacher, and never once raised her hand to answer anything.

Lunch time came around and Haley met her sister at Brooke's locker so that they could walk together, Haley knew that Brooke wanted to be alone. But she was her sister, and she would always protect her.

They both walked to the cafeteria and grabbed their food, walking to the table Brooke felt like people were looking at her and judging. But this was all part of her imagination, no one really was paying any attention to them.

"Hey pretty girl" Lucas said when Brooke finally reached the table.

She smiled and sat next to him, Haley sitting on her other side.

"So how'd you sleep?" He asked.

Brooke gave him a thankful smile, "great" she said. "Actually Haley spent the night with me" she told him. More so that Jake wouldn't suspect anything.

"What about you, Hales?" Lucas asked her.

"Perfect" was all she said and took a bite of her turkey sandwich.

Nathan smiled at the sound of that and also began to eat, the table got really quiet as they were all eating. Every now and then Haley would look at her sister to make sure she was okay, but Brooke wasn't really eating. Instead she was mostly just playing with her food, something that really concerned Haley.

"Brooke, honey. You really got to eat" she said.

Brooke shrugged and continued to play with her food.

Jake noticed the tension building up, he really couldn't take anymore. He looked over at Peyton for help, but it looked like she was running on empty.

"So, Friday's the first away game" Millie said. The new girl really kept up to speed, she always spoke up when it needed to be done. Well at least now, at her old school she was the shy ballerina.

"Yes" Mouth said, "I guess I'll be there" he said.

"Really?" Millie asked a little confused.

"Yeah, he's the announcer" Lucas said, "how is your routine going?" he asked. The question wasn't really directed to anyone in particular, but to all the girls sitting there.

"Perfect" Peyton said, "Brooke always manages to make the perfect routine" she told him.

"Seriously" Millie said, "It's so well choreographed, it's easy to learn."

"I know right" Peyton agreed.

"yeah, the moves go great with the next one, and the sequence is great. Plus the song is to die for, no other squad is going to have it" Millie said positively.

"Thanks you guys" Brooke said.

"So, where are we going?" Haley asked clueless.

Nathan laughed at her comment, as did everyone else. Brooke just looked at her sister with a smile.

"What?" she said.

"Your so cute" Nathan said.

"Shut up" Haley slapped his shoulder, "I really don't know where we're going " she stated.

For the rest of the lunch hour everyone talked about the away game they would have, it was something everyone was looking forward to. And something Haley really wanted for Brooke, sometimes getting away was all she needed.

* * *

Brooke walked with Haley, Lucas, and Mouth to their next period, they all had English (A.P.) together. People where always surprised to know that Brooke had this class, but she was actually a great writer and reader. English was one of her strongest subjects, and having her sister with her made it that much easier on her.

Walking in the class room they all sat in there usual seats, Haley sat right behind Brooke and Lucas next to her with Mouth behind him. They practically formed a square, always sitting together.

The bell rang to begin class and the teacher, Mrs. Potter began to talk. "Okay, so today we will be reading a short story from your literature book. You will be in groups of fours, so turned your desk to make them face each other. Then open your book to page 278 and read the story, then you and your group will write a paper reflecting all the different points of view."

Haley raised her hand, once she was called she asked her question. "Will we only write on paper, or one from each of us?"

"Only one" Mrs. Potter said.

The class began to move their desks around and reading their story, for the next hour they all worked as a group and managed to do pretty good. Their group all wrote a different point of view, helping them finish early. For the rest of the period they just talked, but Brooke mostly just sat there and listed.

Haley looked at her sister in concerned, still hoping that Brooke would open up she would glance at her and give her a smile. Brooke sat there and just listened to their conversations.

* * *

After school Haley met Brooke outside the gym, that was Brooke's last class so she walked over to see her. When Brooke saw her sister she gave her a hug, she pulled away and looked at her concerned sister.

"Ready to go?" Haley asked her.

"Actually, I was thinking we should have a practice today" Brooke told her with a half smile.

"Brooke, that's great" she said and jumped to her sister and gave her a hug.

Brooke grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her to the gym, once they walked in they saw all the girls sitting on the bleachers talking and the guys throwing balls around. Brooke looked over to the guys and gave Lucas a smiled, he smiled back happy to see that she was getting passed the whole Bevin thing.

Bevin walked towards both girls, she stopped when she was right in front of Brooke. "Brooke, I'm so sorry about what I said. I wasn't thinking, I'm really, really, really sorry" she said with a pleading look.

Brooke looked at her, "Bevin, it's fine. But it would be great if you didn't mention it again."

Bevin gave her a nod and pulled her to a hug.

"Alright girls" Haley said walking in front of them all with her sister by her side, "we are going to run through the routine once, then we'll take a brake" she told them. "After that we'll run through it one more time, then you'll be ready to go" Haley instructed. She knew that Brooke only wanted to be there because it would take her mind of thing, but she wasn't in the mood to lead or add moves to their routine.

All the girls nodded and walked to their positions, Brooke walked to the front and stepped in her position. "Alright, five, six, seven, eight" she said, then she took a step to the right shaking her hip with it. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and one, two three..." she continued counting until the routine was finished. She then turned to see the girls and make sure that all their lifts where just in the right position.

"Bevin, your arms need to be more firm" she said walking by her, "Millie, great smile. Peyton, try to hold your leg a little higher. Rachel, at least try to smile" she pointed out to some of the girls. "Okay, take your brake. Be back in ten."

They all scattered around, Brooke walked to her sister who was talking to Millie and Peyton. The girls all talked for about two minutes, then Brooke felt strong arms wrap around her from behind. She lifted her head to see who it was, she smiled when she saw Lucas. "Hey boyfriend" she said.

Lucas smiled at that, he loved to hear her voice. But more then that, he could hear in her voice that she was actually happy at the moment. She was distracted, and this made him so happy. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her head, "am I taking you home after school?" he asked.

Brooke nodded, and looked at her sister with a smile. Haley smiled back at her, the whole situation was making her so happy. Just seen her sister smile, even if it was for a few short minutes made her so happy.

Haley nodded her head with a smile, which was returned from Brooke.

"Lucas, when your done with your girlfriend you can come join us" Whitey yelled at him in a sarcastic tone.

Lucas placed a kiss on Brooke's forehead, "I'll see you after practice" he told her. With that he ran back to meet with the team.

Practice continued for both the boys and the girls smoothly, both concentrated in their own sport.

Once they were done the boys went to get changed and the girls started to pack their bags, Haley and Brooke both sat on the bleachers waiting for their boyfriends. Jake was taking Haley's car because he had a few things to do, and well his car was still not working.

"I'm glad you made me come" Brooke said, she gained a nod from her sister and continued to speak. "I also want to thank you for letting Luke stay over last night."

"I know you really wanted him there" Haley said.

"I did" Brooke said.

They just sat there looking at each other, not needing any words they just leaned their heads against each other as they waited for the boys to come out. It seemed that they were the only one that didn't come out, Jake had already said good bye to them.

"Ready?" he asked walking over to both girls.

"yes" Brooke said, she stood up and ran to him. He pulled her up to a hug and kissed her.

"Please keep the PDA to a minimum" Haley said covering eyes.

They both laughed at her, and he grabbed her hand to take. "Let's go pretty girl" he said.

"I'll see you at home" Brooke said, more like a question then a statement.

Haley nodded and stood up to give her sister a hug, "I love you" she said. With that she saw both of them walk out of the gym.

"Why are you so smiley?" Nathan asked walking to her.

"Brooke" she simply said.

Understanding what she said he pulled her to a side hug and they walked out the gym together.

* * *

**Thanks so much for all your review, so this chapter is short and it's not one of my best I have to admit. But I really want to make Brooke happy again, it will however take her time to get over it. And this story line will continue, it will minimize it's self but I will still be there.**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- Thanks for all your reviews they're awesome. This might not be the best chapter but it's something._**

**_naleyfan1- Yes there was some Naley action, and I will add some more in the upcoming chapters. I love Naley and they are totally cute together._**

**_sophiannabella- Thanks for your review, and like I said there will be more Brooke drama._**

**_Smile Please- I'm really glad you asked that, and yes he will be popping up. I don't have plans for him to come yet, but I do have an idea of how he will come up to Haley._**

**Please review, and I will update as soon as I can. Plus if I get review they inspire me to write more. _  
_**


	23. You're Hurting Me

**Thanks to all the review, and I'm really sorry that I didn't PM you on the last chapter's reviews but I have been really short on time, but I really hope you guys like this chapter. Also I will be starting the sequel to Tree Hill Summer next wee to all of you who read it, I will upload the link to the first chapter on the next chapter of THS. Thanks again. =D**

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- thanks for your review, I always love your ideas and I really like your new story._**

**_Smile Please- I'm really glad you liked the chapter, I hope you like this one. _**

**_Dianehermans- thanks for your reviews, you always review every chapter and that is totally awesome. Thanks so much. There is some Brucas here for you. Hope you like it._**

Chapter 23-

It was after school Thursday evening, and both girls had made it home. Jake as always had to get a ride, his car was still not running. But the girls really didn't mind giving him rides, after all they went to the same place.

Now in their rooms both girls were packing for the next day's trip, it would be the away game and they were both extremely exited about it. One of the good things about having a sister in the squad was that they got to share a room, as well as both Scott boys. They would have to be careful on switching because of Jake and of course Whitey, but they can manage to do that little task.

Jake wasn't home at the moment, right when they arrived home he took Haley's car to Peyton's house. He really wanted to visit his new girlfriend before the trip, they would be with the rest of the team and squad on the way there and he just wanted a private, intimate moment with her.

Haley walked to Brooke's room only to see her sitting on the bed flipping through a magazine, "Brooke, what are you doing?" she asked. Haley was all done packing and well she expected her sister to be done as well.

"Reading" she simply answered.

Haley looked at her sister in disbelief, "I know what you want" she said walking towards her. She saw Brooke lift her head and give her a _what are you talking about _ look, "don't give me that look, you want me to pack for you don't you."

Brooke looked at her sister with puppy dog eyes, "please, Hales" she begged. Then she put both her hands in front of her face interlocked with each other in a praying manner.

"Fine" was all Haley said.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you" Brooke said running to her sister and giving her a bear hug.

"yeah" Haley murmured.

Brooke then pulled away from the hug and placed her hands on Haley's shoulders, "I'm gonna go out with Luke, I'll see you later" she said, then she walked to her bed and grabbed her purse. "I'll see you tonight" she said, then she walked out the door.

"Brooke" Haley yelled, but Brooke was already down the stairs and out of hearing's range.

Brooke walked out the door to find her boyfriend waiting for her, she walked up to him and jumped to his arms. Lucas received her and picked her up, he then placed her back on the floor and gave her a deep kiss. The kiss was returned by Brooke, she felt his tongue rub on her lower lip and she parted her lips to let him in.

They were right in the middle of their make out session when they heard a car drive by and honk, Brooke quickly pulled away and started laughing along with Lucas. Lucas grabbed her hand and pulled her to the car where he opened the door for her, he then closed it and walked around to his side of the car.

"So, where are you talking me?" she asked.

"Somewhere special" he told her, he really didn't want to take her somewhere where their would be lots of people. He understood that Brooke was still not comfortable around everyone.

Brooke simply smiled and turned her to face out the windshield.

* * *

Back at the house Haley was now packing Brooke's clothes, it was a good thing they were only going for a weekend because Brooke sure wore a lot of clothes. She was putting a skirt in the bag when she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket, she pulled it out and answered it.

"Hey" she said sweetly.

_"What are you doing?" he asked._

"Packing" she answered.

_"I thought you were done?" he questioned confused._

"I am" Haley said, "I'm packing for Brooke" she said putting some shirt in the bag.

_"When your done with hers wanna come do mine" he questioned._

"Nathan, you need to pack your own stuff. Besides I don't even know what you would need" she told him. She then zipped the bag and sat on Brooke's bed.

_"Fine" he said, "can I come over?"_

"Yeah, sure."

_"K, be there in ten" he said._

Just then Haley heard the door bell ring, "K, I'll see you. Now I have to go see who's at the door" she told him, "I love you" she said walking down the stairs.

_"love you too" he said. _With that they both hung up their phones and Haley opened the door.

* * *

Brooke kept looking out the window not knowing where she was being taken, when the car stopped she looked out Lucas' window and understood the whole quiet trip. Brooke smiled at Lucas and spoke, even though she was basically speechless. "Luke, this is beautiful" Brooke said.

Lucas got out of the car and walked to her side to open the door for her, "My lady" he said holding out his hand for her to take.

Brooke took his hand with a smile, they walked towards the table that was decorated all so beautiful.

Lucas decorated the table at the rivercourt just for them, he knew that everyone would be too busy packing so this would be the perfect time. The table was covered with a red table cloth, it had white china and crystal glasses. In the middle of the table were three candles, which weren't needed but he still put them.

He pulled out her chair and she sat, he then walked over to his side and sat.

* * *

Back at the house, Haley almost passed out when she saw the person standing outside her house. She felt like her whole world was crumbling down, why was this happening to her.

"Haley" the voice said softly understanding by her expression what she was feeling.

"What…what are you doing here?" she managed to say.

"I wanted to see you again."

The person took a step closer to her to give her a hug, Haley took a step back "don't touch me" she said harshly.

"Hales" the voice said sweetly.

"Don't call me that" she said, by now Haley could feel the tears forming in her eyes. After a moment of just staring at each other, Haley felt like it was hours and she was just praying that Nathan would show up soon.

"Can I come in" he asked.

"I don't think you should Brandon" Haley said.

"Come on, Hales" he said stepping closer to her, he then reached over and cupped her face.

Haley took another step back, and hit his hand "I said don't touch me" she said with a harsh tone.

Brandon looked at her with hurt in his eyes, yet you could also see the evil in them. His once beautiful green eyes were now full of evil and hate.

"What is your problem" he yelled when she hit his arm.

Haley flinched and walked passed him so that they could be outside, she wanted to make sure that if he tried something someone would be able to see it. Last time they were together he wasn't a very nice person, and he wasn't gentle at all.

"Hey, I'm talking to you" he yelled as she walked passed him, he then turned to face her. "I asked you a question" he said grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.

"Let me go" Haley wined.

"Answer me" he yelled still holding on to her.

Haley couldn't hold it anymore, she felt her tears just cascade down her face. She could feel them sliding down her cheeks, and felt so powerless unable to do anything. With the tears still running down her cheeks she managed to speak, "what do you want?" she asked in an almost whisper.

He was now holding on to her upper arms, "I want to know what your problem is? Why you left? Why don't you talk to me?" he said a little softer.

Haley looked at him in disbelief to his question, why would he ask that. The answers were so obvious, he was abusive and manipulative. "Your hurting me" she said looking straight into his green eyes. Just looking at them scared her to death.

Brandon tighten his grip on her arm not realizing what he was doing, he looked at her and could she that she was hurting. "What are you doing?" was the last thing he heard before he was on the floor holding his jaw. _What the hell?_ He asked to himself, then he looked up and saw exactly were it all came from.

* * *

"Lucas, this is beautiful" Brooke said looking at him.

Lucas uncovered their food and saw her eyes widen at the sight of the food, he smiled at her and placed the lids on the side. "Bon appétit" he said.

"This looks delicious" Brooke said, she lifted her fork and began eating her lasagna.

"Haley said you liked pasta" he told her, "and well this is the only thing I can make" he pointed out.

"You made this?" Brooke asked holding some pasta on her fork. Lucas just nodded, "Luke this is really good" she said surprised that he could cook.

"Thank you" he said.

They just enjoyed there dinner together, sitting there and soaking in every moment. For Lucas this was a very special moment, it was the moment that Brooke had actually talked since the whole Bevin thing. Yes it had only happened two days ago, but when she didn't speak it worried everyone who knew her.

Brooke would give him a smile every now and then, between her bites. They also talked about the trip and how exited Brooke was about it, she told him how she was going to switch rooms so that they could spend the time together. But she still wanted to spend time with her sister, they loved to go to the hotel's spas when they traveled and this would be a perfect time.

* * *

"Are you okay?"

Haley let all her tears fall as she was sobbing at this point, she let him pull her to a hug as she cried into his shirt soaking it all.

"Shhh, it's okay I'm here" he reassured her. Nathan then turned to see Brandon on the grass, "you stay away" he said in a demanding tone. Right as he said that he started to walk in the house with her, he never let her go.

Brando laid there confused at what had just happened, why was this guys defending her? And more then that, who the hell was he? So many questions were running through his head at this point, he was so shocked but still just wanted to know her answers and he wasn't going to leave until he got them.

* * *

Lucas and Brooke had just finished their dinner and he had something else planned for them, not telling her about it he just walked over to her and held out his hand. Brooke gladly took his hand and he pulled her to him, he held her close to him with his hand resting on her hip as they walked side by side.

"Where are we going?" Brooke asked him.

Lucas just kept walking not telling her, he wanted her to be surprised yet again. He held her tighter as they made it passed some trees, it was as if they were crossing a forest with all the trees surrounding them. It was a good thing Brooke dressed casual for this, or there would have been no way in hell she could've walked through this path.

Lost in her thoughts about her clothing Brooke never felt Lucas stopped, he had to practically shake her back to reality. "What is it?" she said startled when she felt someone shaking her.

"We're here" Lucas told her with a little chuckle.

"Oh my god, Luke. This is perfect" she said in a soft voice.

"You like it?" he asked.

"I love it" she answered him and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

He held her the same way he did when they were walking as they looked at the sunset, it was beautiful. They were standing between to big trees and there was more behind them, the grass was so green it looked almost fake. And looking out to the sun you had to look passed the river, the water looked perfect glittering from the rays of the sun.

Lucas sat on the beautiful green grass and tapped the side next to him for her to take, she did as signaled and rested her head on his shoulder. It was the perfect way to end the day, a day that had been easier then the previous yet still hard.

Brooke was so lost in the beauty of it all that she never felt her phone vibrate, she just kept looking at the sun like it was the last sunset of her life. Lucky for her Lucas heard it and he reached to her purse and pulled it out, he recognized the number so he just answered.

"Hello" he said, at the sound of that he saw Brooke turn her head to him quickly.

She tried to listen to what the person on the other line was saying but didn't succeed, she looked at Lucas with a _what's wrong _face but he did nothing to explain to her.

"Okay, we'll be right there" Lucas said, he then hung up the phone and stood up. He reached his hand for her to take so she could stand up.

Brooke took his hand and he pulled her up, once she was up she questioned him "what happened?"

Lucas just kept walking as he pulled her along with him, he was walking extremely fast. He kept looking straight forward and never said anything to her, something that really worried her.

"Lucas, what's wrong?" she asked in a panic tone.

Lucas didn't turn his head and kept walking as he answered her question, "it's Haley" was all he said.

Brooke felt like her whole world was tumbling down, she didn't know what was going on but by the way he said her name and he kept pulling her she knew it wasn't good news."What happened to here?" she asked feeling her tears starting to form.

Lucas reached the car and he opened her door, she jumped in and he quickly ran to his side. Once he started the car he drove as fast as possible, he never once took his eyes of the road.

"What happen Lucas?" she questioned. When he didn't answer she go more worried and started yelling, "Tell me" she yelled, "I need to know what happened to _my _sister" she kept yelling at him.

Lucas could her the pain in her voice, he turned his face to see her and he could also see her tears making their way down her cheeks. He decided to just tell her, not the whole thing but maybe one word would be enough for her. "Brandon" was all he said, he looked at he and could see that she was coming apart.

* * *

**Ok, so I really, really, really, hope you like this chapter. I will continue with Haley telling what happened to Nathan, and Lucas and Brooke in the car ride and how he will try to calm her down. The Bevin's big mouth story line will still be there and will be coming back soon with a big bomb.**

**Please tell me what you think about this one, and I'll try to update soon.**


	24. Your're Hurting Me Part2

**_Haley Elizabeth James_****_- I hate Brandon but like I said Haley needs her own drama as well, but she will always be there for her baby sis who has more to come her way._**

**_Dianehermans_****_- Brooke and Lucas haven't slept together because Brooke did attend a Catholic School, so there is that. But I also want to make it special for her, in the show she was all promiscuous and stuff so I really want to make her the fun, bubbly, cool girl but not slutty. I think she deserves that much._**

**_Smile Please_****- _ I really hope you like this chapter, it has a little of everything and there is another punch that Brandon receives._**

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis_****_- Thanks so much for your reviews, and I say most of the things to you on the PM so there isn't much to say except thanks a ton, and I always love your ideas._**

**ENJOY-**

Chapter 24-

This is the second part of the last chapter.

-

-

"Haley, I need you to tell me who that was" Nathan said once he sat he on the couch. He was sitting next to her as she cried with he head leaning on his chest, the only thing he could do was ask her questions and ran his hand down her hair and her back.

Haley just sat there and cried, she wanted to tell Nathan so bad that it was Brandon but she couldn't find her voice. She took a deep breath and tried to tell him but still nothing came out, the she lifted her head to see him and saw the worry and anger in his face.

"Come on baby" he said still rubbing her back, "I really need you to tell me."

Haley looked into his blue eyes and managed to somehow say the next words, it wasn't much but it was all she could manage to let out between her sobs. "Brandon" she whispered, "it's Brandon."

Nathan felt his blood burning through his veins, the only thing he wanted to do at the moment was walk outside and beat the shit out of this guy. He held her closer with one hand and managed to pull out his phone from his pocket with the other.

_"Hello" the voice on the other side said._

"Lucas, I need you to bring Brooke home soon. This guy Brandon is here, and Haley won't stop crying. I don't know what to do, please hurry" Nathan trailed of as he felt Haley crying more and more to his shirt soaking it.

_"Okay, we'll be right there" was the last thing Lucas said before he hung up the phone._

* * *

Brooke took his hand and he pulled her up, once she was up she questioned him "what happened?"

Lucas just kept walking as he pulled her along with him, he was walking extremely fast. He kept looking straight forward and never said anything to her, something that really worried her.

"Lucas, what's wrong?" she asked in a panic tone.

Lucas didn't turn his head and kept walking as he answered her question, "it's Haley" was all he said.

Brooke felt like her whole world was tumbling down, she didn't know what was going on but by the way he said her name and he kept pulling her she knew it wasn't good news."What happened to here?" she asked feeling her tears starting to form.

Lucas reached the car and he opened her door, she jumped in and he quickly ran to his side. Once he started the car he drove as fast as possible, he never once took his eyes of the road.

"What happen Lucas?" she questioned. When he didn't answer she go more worried and started yelling, "Tell me" she yelled, "I need to know what happened to _my _sister" she kept yelling at him.

Lucas could her the pain in her voice, he turned his face to see her and he could also see her tears making their way down her cheeks. He decided to just tell her, not the whole thing but maybe one word would be enough for her. "Brandon" was all he said, he looked at he and could see that she was coming apart.

"Oh my god" she said bringing her hands to her hairs, she brushed it all bag and she could feel her hands shaking. "You have to drive faster" she yelled.

Lucas looked over at her and could see the worry in her eyes, he could also see that she was extremely tense as she kept tapping her foot on the floor and her hand on her knee. He drove as fast as he could through the streets of Tree Hill, the streets he knew so well now seemed to be different and making him go crazy. He could help but keep glancing at her, he felt so helpless. There she sat, the girl of his dreams and there was nothing he could do at the moment to help her other then drive faster.

* * *

Haley kept crying and Nathan just wanted to make this all stop, he wanted to make her stop crying, he wanted to make it as Brandon never showed up, he wanted to do so many things but nothing was possible. He looked at her and lifted her face so that she was facing him, he stared at her chocolate brown eyes and was lost in them. "Hey" he said softly, "I need you to stop crying, I need you to tell me more about him" he pretty much whispered to her. When he saw her eyes trying to stop the tears he continued, "your a strong woman, and I won't let him hurt you okay." She once again gave him a single nod, but this time she also cracked a half smile. "I love you" he told her when he saw her smile, it wasn't the full thing but he was at least getting somewhere. He felt her lean closer to him, he held her as tight as he could knowing that she was still a little startled from what had happened outside.

He rubbed her back only thinking about what he wanted to do to Brandon, he wanted more than anything to walk outside and see him laying on the grass. He then wanted to grabbed the guy and beat the crap out of him, all he wanted was for Brandon to feel what he made her feel. He wanted him to be scared, and to feel powerless at the whole situation. Nathan had never felt like this in his life, and it was amazing to him how one tiny girl could make him want to do things he had never done before.

"Thank you" he heard her whispered.

"Hey" he said softly, "you have nothing to thank me for. I told you, I will always protect you" with that he brought her even closer to her and kissed the top of her head.

* * *

When they turned to curb Brooke could see him seating on the porch, she didn't wait for Lucas to bring the car to a complete stop before she was out of the car. She ran over to him and start yelling before she even reached the porch. "You son of a bitch, what the hell do you think you're doing here" she started her argument. Brooke was beyond mad, she had crossed mad and angry a long time ago. She was now pissed, she was so pissed of she knew that if she had some sort of weapon she wouldn't hesitate on using it.

"Brooke" Brandon said jumping from his sitting possition.

"Don't _Brooke_ me" she yelled waving her hand in the air, "I asked you a question and I expect you to answer it" she yelled. Brooke then felt a taller figure standing by her, and she was glad that Lucas had finally made it out of the car.

"I just want to talk to her" Brandon said walking closer to Brooke.

"Stay back" Lucas warned placing a protective hand over Brooke pushing her behind him.

Brooke took a step to the side so that she could see his face, "you will not talk to her, and you will not touch her" Brooke yelled waving her finger at him.

"Brooke I -"

"You heard her" Lucas said, "now get" he pointed to the road. Lucas then grabbed Brooke by the hand and pulled her inside.

Brooke looked back while she was being pulled and kept yelling at Brandon, "don't ever come near her again, and trust me when I say this. If you hurt her I WILL kill you, you fucking son of a bitch." Once she was done yelling she felt Lucas pull her a little harder to get her in the house, the he closed the door behind her.

* * *

"Thank you" he heard her whispered.

"Hey" he said softly, "you have nothing to thank me for. I told you, I will always protect you" with that he brought her even closer to her and kissed the top of her head.

Nathan heard the door open, then slam shut. He still held Haley close to him as he lifted his head to face the door, right there he saw his brother and Brooke standing. He could see so much hate and anger in Brooke's eyes, just looking at her scared the crap out of him.

Brooke ran to where they were sitting and sat on the other side of her sister, she pulled her into a hug as Nathan let her go. She felt Haley begin to cry again, she could help but wonder how long it had taken Nathan to actually calm her down. Brooke made a shhh sound while she rubbed her back, "it's okay honey, I'm here now."

"Is he still out there?" Nathan asked standing up, he was looking at his brother.

"I think so" Lucas responded, he wasn't all that sure but he had feeling what Nathan was thinking would bring no good to him.

"I'll be right back" he said as he began to walk, he felt a small hand grab his wrist and he stopped to look down to the owner.

"Please don't" she told him, her eyes were swollen and red from so much crying.

Nathan kneeled down to eye level with her, he looked at the pain in her eyes and he knew he couldn't just stand there and do nothing about it. "Haley" he said softly, "he hurt you, I can't let him get away with it" he was wiping some tears from her cheek.

"Please" she begged.

Nathan looked at her and saw how much she was hurting at the moment, he didn't want to cause her anymore pain. He just wanted to make this all go away so that she could smile again, he felt like the world was coming to an end. "Okay" he simply said, he then sat back where he was previously.

Brooke notice him taking Haley and she stood up, she would _not_ let anyone hurt her sister if she could help it. She looked at Haley and saw her sister looking back at her, "what did he do?" Brooke asked in a harsh tone.

Haley looked at her and shook her head, she didn't want to talk about now. Haley knew she had to tell Brooke the whole story, but right now was not the right time. She remembered so well that night outside the school when Brooke opened the door and saw her on the floor, she also remembered Brandon's face when he saw her standing at the door. As much as she wanted to tell her sister the whole story she couldn't , it was too much for her to handle. And no one knew what Brooke would have done, that's why she only told her that Brandon had tried to kiss her outside the school that night. When she said she didn't want to he slapped her, and then he broke up with her braking her heart along the way. Never would Haley think that Brooke would hold such a grudge against him, but she obviously underestimated her sister.

Brooke looked at Haley, "Tell me what he did?" Brooke asked again in a more demanding manner.

"Brooke-" Haley began to say but was cut off.

"He was hurting her" Nathan jumped in.

"What?!" Brooke yelled, "so not only does he think he can get away with braking your heart, but he has the guts to come here and physically try to hurt you after he slapped you" she ranted.

Haley looked at her sister, she could see that Brooke was pissed and she didn't want to fuel her fire anymore. She looked at Nathan with pleading eyes, "can you call Alice for me" she questioned. She saw him nod and then rested her head on his shoulder, "thanks."

"Take her upstairs" Brooke order Nathan.

"What? Why?" he asked confused.

"Just do it" she harshly told him.

Wasting not time Nathan stood up and brought her up close to him, the slowly walked up the stairs then down the hall into her room. Once in there he helped her sit on her bed, he watched as she laid and placed her head on the pillow. Nathan then walked over to the phone and handed it to her, "you should call Alice now" he softly stated.

She took the phone from his hands and dialed the all so familiar number, she waited until she heard the voice on the other side. "Saint Domenico's Catholic School" the voice said.

Haley took a deep breath before speaking she didn't want to sound like she had been crying, even though she had. "Sister Elizabeth" she said sweetly, "it's Haley. Do you think it would be possible for me to talk to Alice?" She questioned. The lady on the other side told her that it would be alright, it was kind of late but she understood that the girls wanted to remain friends. She sat on her bed Waiting for Alice to pick up the phone on the other side.

She looked over at Nathan who was standing up from the bed, he was going to give her some privacy. Haley quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him down, he looked at her concerned at the her actions. "Stay" she told him, "please, I don't want to be alone." With that she saw him taking a seat right next to her.

_"Hello" Alice said extremely cheerful._

"Alice" Haley said.

_"Hales" Alice said, her voice suddenly worried "what's going on?"_

"It's Brandon" Haley told her, "he's here."

* * *

Back downstairs Brooke kept passing back in forth in front of Lucas who was currently sitting on the couch, she would glance at him every once in a while but she was mostly focused on what she wanted to do to Brandon right now.

"Why did you do that?" Lucas finally asked her. He had been wondering the whole time why she had sent Haley upstairs, it made no since wouldn't she want to be with her sister.

"Do what?" she asked confused.

"Sent Haley upstairs" he simply stated.

Brooke took a seat next to him, she faced him and gave him a half smile that immediately disappeared. "I want him to come in" she simply stated. Just as she finished saying that they heard the door open and they both jumped at the slammed door.

* * *

"Who the hell are you?" Jake asked as he stepped out of the white bug.

He stood up and walked up to him, "Brandon" he said stretching his hand for Jake to shake.

"Yeah" Jake said, "I don't know any Brandons" he said sarcastically.

"I'm here to see Haley" Brandon said, "do you think you could let me talk to her?"

Jake was just about to say yes, when he remembered talking to Alice about his cousins. "Wait a minute" he said in realization, "your Haley's ex, right?"

Brandon nodded his head, "the one and only" he said with a goofy grin.

Jake took a step closer to him "why didn't you say so" he said sarcastically.

"I don't kn-" he began to say.

Jake cut him off punching him, he saw the guy fall on the ground and he then stepped closer to him and kicked him on the stomach a few times. With every kick he said a different word "you. Stay. Away. From. My. Cousin." Fuming with anger he walked in the house and slammed the door shut, it was only then that he realized that Brooke was already home.

* * *

"What happened?" Brooke asked worried when she saw that it was her cousin who had just slammed the door.

"Where is Haley" he asked still angry.

"Upstairs" Lucas said softly, he was trying to calm him down at this moment.

"Do you know who's outside" he firmly asked/stated pointing to the door with his thumb.

"He's still here?" Brooke questioned him.

"What?!" Jake yelled, "you knew he was here and you didn't call me" he kept yelling as he walked closer to Brooke.

"Chill buddy" Lucas said stepping in front of Brooke so that Jake couldn't get any closer.

"I didn't know what to do" Brooke told him with tears in her eyes now.

"Oh Brooke, you should've called me" he said shaking his head.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

"I'm gonna go check on her" he said, before he turned to leave he looked at Brooke again "can we talk?" he asked her. When he saw her nod he took her hand and took her to the dining room, he was so concerned about Haley when he saw Brandon that he forgot all about Brooke's feeling from earlier this week. They stepped into the dinning room and he sat on the chair next to her, "how are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Jake, I think you're asking the wrong sister here" she told him a little amused that he was asking her.

"No" he said in a serious tone, he then reached and grabbed her hand " I mean about what Bevin said."

"Oh" Brooke said, "better" she told him.

"You know I'm always here, right?"

"Yeah, Thanks" she said caressing his cheek, "but I think we have a bigger problem now" she pointed to the front door.

"Yeah" he told her, "I'll take care of it, but I'm gonna check on Haley first" with that he jumped up from his chair, he gave Brooke a tight hug and a kiss on the top of her head then he left the room.

Brooke walked back to Lucas and saw him still sitting on the couch, "what are you thinking about?" she asked taking a seat on his lap.

"You" he simply said.

Brooke crawled next to him and held him tight resting her head on his chest, "I like the sound of that" she told him.

"I love you" Lucas said.

Brooke pulled her head up and grabbed his face between her hands, she then leaned into him and kissed him passionately on the lips. Once she pulled away she looked at his blue eyes, "I love you too" she said.

* * *

**Sorry to cut it short guys, but hey I'll try to update soon. Actually I'll try to update by Wednesday. Also thanks for the reviews and for those of you who read my other story Tree Hill Summer I already uploaded the sequel, and if you don't read it then if you want to read the sequel you don't need to read THS to know what's going on. **

**Thanks again, and please review =D**


	25. The Way There

**Okay so I really, really, really, hope you like this chapter. I have to admit that the end was a little sad for me, in a way I had a similar talk with my sister once. Anyways I got confused with some of the names so I had to go and delete part of it and type it all again, but I got it done.**

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis – I really wanted Jake to care about both his cousins, I know my cousins have always been there for me but we all care about each other._**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- I'm really glad you like the whole Naley thing, I really enjoy writing them as a couple._**

**_Dianehermans –Thanks for you review, I really hope you like this chapter it has some BRUCAS. =D_**

**_Smile Please- Thanks for your review, and Brandon had it coming. Hopefully he gets more of that, I mean seriously we still have Lucas left ;)._**

**This chapter is updated now for you- JustLikeBrookeDavis I said I would do it now so here you are. I really hope you don't feel to bad after your surgery to update your stories. I really like them =D,**

**Enjoy.**

Chapter 25-

It was now Friday and they would be leaving for the away game soon, Brooke was so exited about this game. But it was as if nothing would agree with her. It all started with her being exited about it, then stupid Bevin had to open her big mouth. And if that wasn't enough, Brandon had showed up to surprise Haley. And let's just say that seeing him was definitively a surprise.

"Haley, come on" Brooke said walking out the door. She had already sent Jake to put their bags in the car, so now the only thing she needed was to get her sister there.

"I'm coming" Haley yelled running down the stairs, "where are my keys?" she asked searching her pockets.

"Jake's driving" Brooke informed her.

Haley simply nodded and walked out the door with her sister, Brooke locked the door and pulled her sister to the car.

* * *

"Hey, pretty girl" Lucas said walking up to Brooke, he gave her a big hug from behind and kissed her hair.

Brooke turned her head to see her boyfriend, she smiled and gave him a quick peck.

"How's she doing?" he said nodding to Haley.

"Better" Brooke said honestly.

"And you?" he questioned her.

"Better" she said, this time it didn't sound as honest.

He gave her nod, then he flipped her so that she was facing him and he kissed her deeply. Brooke immediately returned that kiss, they just stood there outside the school waiting to get on the bus making out.

"Get a room" Nathan said walking pass them.

They broke a part and turned to face him, Nathan gave them a questioning look. "Where is your sister?" he asked her.

"Oh god" Brooke said, "I thought she was with you" she told him in all honesty. She did think that she was with him, she saw Haley walk towards Nathan when they arrived. Then again maybe she went somewhere else, it wasn't like they were together all the time.

"Brooke" Nathan said a little to loud.

"What" Brooke said, "I did" she defended herself.

"God" Nathan, "what if he's here?" he pointed out.

"Then she would have called" Brooke told him, she knew her sister too well and knew that Haley was smarted then that.

"Are you sure?" Nathan asked concerned.

"Nate, chill" Lucas said, "she's …" he was cut off before he could finish his sentence.

"Chill" Nathan yelled a little, "dude, no one knows where she is. What if Brandon's here, what if something happened." He was so worried at this point that he didn't even notice that she was standing right next to him, the only thing he wanted was to make sure that she was okay.

"What happen?" she asked joining the group of three.

Nathan turned to see her and pulled her to a hug so quick that Haley lost her balance, he kept her close with out letting go. "Where have you been?" he asked worried, he then pulled away and held her by the shoulders looking into her eyes.

Haley looked at him a little concerned at the way he was reacting, "with Jake" she said.

"What?" he said breathless.

"I was with Jake" Haley told him, "why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"Like what?" he asked dumbfounded.

"Like you just found your lost puppy" she informed him.

He let out a loud sigh, "I was just worried" he told her honestly, "and when I didn't see you, and you weren't with Brooke I panicked" he concluded.

Haley could see the worry in his eyes, the sight made her feel so guilty. She put her hand on his chest and looked straight into his blue eyes, "I'm fine" she said softly. "I'm sorry I scared you" she admitted, then she took a step closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He returned the hug and kissed her on her hair.

* * *

"God this has got to be the longest ride ever" Brooke complained, she turned to the body next to her. When she saw the other person sleeping she rested her head on it's shoulder.

"Hey" he said when he felt her head on his shoulder.

"Sorry" Brooke quickly said, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Hey" he said when she pulled away, "come here" he told her opening his arms.

Brooke cuddle with him and rested her head on his shoulder, she looked at him and could see his eyes close yet still a huge grin on his face. She smiled at the sight, "thank you" she said.

"For what?" Lucas asked, the thank you came out of nowhere. Lucas didn't know what she was thankful for but he wanted to know, it was so random.

"For being there" she said, "all the time" she said honestly, then she pulled up to him and kissed him softly.

"I love being there for you" he said. He then pulled her to a tight hug and kissed the top of her head, something she smiled at.

* * *

The bus ride had been long, but the way they were sitting definitively made it worth it. By the end of the trip Brooke was sitting on the window seat, her head rested on the window while her legs were on Lucas' lap. He didn't seem to mind much, he just rested his hands on her legs while she slept.

Right behind them were Jake and Peyton, yes that's right Jake and Peyton. Something very much orchestrated by Brooke, she really wanted her cousin to be happy and she knew that Peyton would do just that. Peyton sat on the window seat as well, but se sat with her head resting on Jake's shoulder while her legs where semi tucked under her as the rest of them were next to her but. Jake sat there just making sure that she could actually sleep, he didn't sleep much the previous night but he loved the view from where he was sitting.

Right across from Jake and Peyton you will find Haley and Nathan, who sat the opposite way. Haley sat on the aisle seat, her feet rested on the aisle side of her seat while her head was on Nathan's lap. She had been sleeping the whole way and he had just been playing with hear hair while he looked out the window.

Most of the girls slept the whole way, which was totally understandable since they left the school at five in the morning. Jake dozed of here and there every once in a while, he hardly slept the previous night. Brooke had stayed with Haley, but still every so often Haley would jump and wake up all sweaty. Let's just say Brandon's little surprise had a huge effect on her.

Brooke opened her eyes lightly and saw Lucas' hands on her legs, she smiled when she saw him look at her. "Hey" she said in an almost whisper.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked patting her legs.

"Great" she said genuinely , "but I wouldn't mind an actual bed" she told him rubbing her neck.

"I bet" he said with a chuckle.

She pull her legs from him and placed them back on the floor, she snuggled close to him and smile at the feeling. Brooke loved the feeling she got when she was with Lucas, it was a feeling of protection as is nothing could hurt her.

"So, about the sleeping arrangements" he started to tell her really soft, he really didn't want Jake to hear him.

"What about them?" Brooke asked still not meeting his face. Her head rested on his chest while he played with her hair.

"Are they still on?" Lucas asked, he really wanted to know. After the whole Brandon thing, maybe Brooke had changed her mind and she wanted to spend the night with her sister.

"Hey" she said lifting her head, "I'll talk to Haley and make sure she's fine with it, but if she needs me I'll be there for her. Which doesn't mean I don't want to be with you, because I really do" she told him caressing his cheek.

Lucas smiled and pulled her closer to him, if that was even possible. "I love you" he told her.

"Me too" she said with a smile then reached up to him and kissed him softly and short.

* * *

When they finally arrived at the hotel they were handed their keys. Ms. Harris, who was the cheer coach told the girls that they needed to be in bed by ten. She also informed that there would be an early morning practice in the morning.

On the other side of the hotel Whitey told the guys that their bed time would be eleven, because they would meet in the gym at eleven to run a late night practice. Then in the morning they would have another quick run through, not that the guys didn't expect it.

Brooke walked with her sister and Peyton, not that they all got to be in the same room but they walked together. The girls walked Peyton to her room which was right two rooms over, they would drop Peyton off then walk to their room. Sometimes having the same last name came in handy, they usually got to share things or sit next to each other because of it.

"Here we are" Brooke said exited, she clapped her hands and took the key from Peyton's hands. Then she slid the key in, when the light turned green Peyton walked in.

"Hey roomie" the girl inside the room said in a welcoming tone.

"Hey" Peyton said, "I'm glad is you and not Rachel" she shot.

"Oh Peyton, your so mean sometimes" Bevin said without thinking, _again_.

"We're gonna go" Brooke said slowly pointing to the door with her thumb, "see ya at lunch?" she asked Peyton. When she received the nod she turned around and grabbed her sister's hand.

* * *

"So…" Brooke said hesitating to continue her sentence.

"What is it?" Haley asked knowing exactly that her sister wanted to tell her something, but she thought the Haley might disapprove. Brooke just looked at her, "Brooke" Haley insisted.

"Fine" Brooke said, she took a deep breath before she began. "Do you still want to do the room swap thing?" she asked. When Haley didn't respond, not that Brooke gave her time to do so she began to speak again. "Because it's totally cool if you want me to stay with you, I mean I am your sister. And you have been there for me, I mean you are always there for me-"

"Brooke" Haley said shaking her sister. When she saw that Brooke was quiet and paying attention to was about to come out of her mouth she began to speak, "it's totally cool that you want to spend the night with Lucas. I mean is not like you get to do it back home with Jake there all the time, plus I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes" Haley said letting go of her sister.

"If it helps Nathan will spend the night with you" Brooke said while taking her clothes out of her bag.

"It helps" Haley assured her.

Brooke only managed to get her cheer uniform out of the bag before she got bored of unpacking, she threw her bag on the ground and laid on her bed. After staring at the ceiling for a few seconds she turned on her side with her head resting on her hand and looked at her sister, who was almost done unpacking everything in her bag.

"What?" Haley said when she noticed Brooke staring.

"Why do you always have to unpack everything before you loosen up?"

"Because that way when I _loosen up_, I don't have to worry about unpacking later" she told her sister walking over to her and laying on the bed next to Brooke.

"I miss them you know?" Brooke said with a sad tone.

"Who?" Haley asked. At this point she could be talking about Lucas and Jake, or even Nathan.

"Mom and dad."

Haley felt really stupid now, why would she ask who when the answer was so obvious. Specially with what had been going on lately with Brooke, "me too" she told her.

"Sometimes I like to think that they're just away on a business trip" Brooke admitted.

"Really?" Haley asked.

Brooke nodded, "yeah" she took a second to talk again. "Like that time they went to Russia for a month."

"Yeah" Haley said, "we got to stay with Jake that time" she remembered.

"I really miss them Haley" Brooke said her tone cracked once between miss and them.

"Brookie" Haley said and pulled her sister to a hug, "I'm still here" she said softly.

"Yeah" Brooke said pulling away so that she could look at her sister, "but what happens when your not?" she questioned whipping her tears which was no use.

"Brooke" Haley said softly, "I'm always going to be here" she then pulled her to a hug again.

"Why us?" Brooke asked her sister.

Haley couldn't find the words to answer her, maybe because there was no right answer to this. In a way she always asked herself the same thing, never understanding why.

"Why you? Why me?" she sobbed a little, "I mean out of all the people in the world" Brooke began to rant, "why the hell do we always get the short end of the stick?" she asked getting angry. Brooke pulled away from her sister and sat next to her, "you get Brandon, who is a complete asshole" she said pointing to Haley, "and I get stupid Bevin saying things she wasn't suppose to say, spreading MY personal life around like it's no big deal."

Haley's heart was breaking for her sister, she could see the tears just trailing down her cheeks at maximum speed. She pulled her to a hug and as much as Brooke tried to pull away she would, shushing her she began to talk when she felt Brooke's sob slow down a little. "I know we've been through a lot, Brookie. But if you thin about it, if non of that had happened you would have Lucas now. You wouldn't be here with me. I mean we were close when we were little but we never hung out together, you played with your friends and I played with mine" she pointed out, "but after mom and dad" she said starting her own set of tears. "After mom and dad, it was you and me against the world" Haley told her sister.

"Still is" Brooke corrected.

"It'll always be" Haley corrected, she felt Brooke smile a little and she felt a smile of her own coming up.

**

* * *

**

Please tell me your thoughts on this chapter, the next one will include the game and more couple interacting. Plus, who know maybe Jake finds Naley and Brucas, that's after they switch rooms. and maybe some Jeyton. Oh yeah their is also a surprise next chapter.

Thanks so much for your reviews. =D


	26. Girl Talk'

**Thanks for all the review, Haley Elizabeht James, JustLikeBrookeDavis, dianehermans, and Please Smile. I hope you guys like this chapter, dianehermans there is some really cute Brucas in there for you. Thanks a ton and enjoy this chapter.**

Chapter 26-

Brooke had managed to switch rooms, she sent her sister to sleep in Nathan and Lucas' room so that Lucas would be in her room. It was quite time to go to bed so they were just watching a movie together, she laid right next to him with her head resting on his chest while he played with her hair. She felt so safe there with him, and she really wanted to make the night special yet she didn't know how. Just a few minutes ago she had been having a heartfelt talk with her sister, and watching the movie she still played their words in her hair. Haley was right, everything hadn't happened the way it did she would be laying right here right now.

"What's on your mind?" Lucas asked her.

Brooke shrugged, "nothing, it's just something Haley said" she told him honestly.

Lucas nodded his head and turned his attention back to the television, he understood that she really didn't want to talk about it at the moment so he tried his best not to ask anymore questions.

* * *

Across the Hall Haley was in with Nathan, but unlike the couple across the hall from them they were in a full on make out session. They had began to watch a movie but somewhere along the way the kissed began flying, and at this moment they just could help it any longer.

Nathan was currently on top of her kissing her neck, she tilted her head sideways to give him better access. Taking the advantage he went down her neck then back up the same trail and made it back to her mouth where he kissed her passionately. Her arms were rapped around his neck and would go up and down his back at times, while his hands would just travel every inch of her body.

The kisses were so passionate and heated, at this point there really was nothing that could make them stop. That is until they heard someone knocking on the door.

"Nathan" Haley said trying to push him back, but he just kept kissing her. "You should get that."

"Nah, it's nothing important" he said then went right back to kissing her.

"Nathan" she said again.

Nathan pulled away and looked at her, he could see that she really wanted him to get that. "Fine" he said, he then got off the bed and walk towards the door. Once he got to the door he twisted the handle to open it, not absolutely shocked by what he saw he began to speak. "What do you want Tim?" he said.

"Nate, a bunch of us are gonna go out. You coming?" Tim asked a little jumpy.

Nathan opened the door further so that Tim could see Haley, "I'm busy" he said a little frustrated.

Tim noticed her sitting on the edge of the bed, "hey, Haley" he said.

Haley waved back at him and gave him a half smile.

"So you coming or what?" Tim asked.

Nathan was getting really frustrated with him right now, he had already told him that he was busy. Plus Tim knew that Haley was there, it's not like he was just going to ditch her. Nathan shook his head and just slammed the door on Tim's face, from the other side he heard Tim "I guess that's a no." He turned back to Haley smiled and walked back to the bed.

"That was interesting" she told him.

"Yeah" he said letting out a frustrated breath.

"I'm going to go change" she said walking to her bag, she got her night clothe and walked in the bathroom to change.

* * *

"What were you and Haley talking about?" Lucas asked his girlfriend when the movie was over.

Brooke took a second to answer, "our parents" she told him.

Lucas was quiet for a minute, he could feel her tightening her grip on his shirt as if he was to disappear or something. "Do you miss them?" he question. Once he said it he realized the stupidity of his question, what kind of question was that. 'do you miss them?' of course she misses them, from what she had told him they were very good parents. And even though they flew a lot on business their mom would try and stay with them most of the time, she always put everything a side for her daughters.

Brooke nodded, "everyday" she said feeling a tear run down her cheek.

"If I could trade my dad for yours, I would do it in a heartbeat" he said rubbing her head. "I wish I could change it for you."

Brooke lifted her head and gave him a smile, his words were so sweet. At that moment she knew exactly why she loved this boy. She reached up to him and kissed him, she had so much love that she deepened the kiss.

Lucas grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her back, he then brought his hands to her hips and held her tight. Somehow he managed to pin her on the bed so that he was hovering her, never leaving her mouth on the process. The kissing escalated within every minute, Brooke not being able to contain the heat that was coming from him.

She knew that she wanted to wait until marriage, that was a promise she had made to her father. But she also promised her mother that she would be in love, and she knew that she would never be in love as much as she was at that moment.

Lucas kept deepening the kisses, moving from her mouth to her neck and back up again. His hands traveling every inch of her body, feeling every curb, loving every touch.

"Lucas" Brooke whispered.

He just kept kissing her, the passion that came from within was inexplicable.

"Lucas" she said again, but this time she was pushing him off her.

When he felt her hands on his chest pushing away he parted the kisses, he pulled back looking into her eyes. "What is it?" he question breathless and concerned.

"I can't" she said with a sorry expression. Brooke felt horrible. She really wanted this, but her dad was more important then sleeping with a guy, even if the guy was the guy for her.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't do this" she pointed out, "I'm really sorry" she whispered.

Lucas placed his forehead on hers and looked into her eyes, he could she the love she had in them. "It's okay" he told her sweetly, "I want to make this especial for you. So if you want to wait, I'll wait forever for you" he told her.

Brooke reached up to him and kissed him, the kiss was quick. As soon as she was done with that she felt him pull away and lay next to her, he opened his arm for her to cuddle with him. With that they were ready to go to bed.

The moment was a nice one, and they definitively wanted it to keep going. But Brooke wanted to make her father proud, and Lucas just loved her enough to understand her wishes. As much as they both wanted this to happen, sometimes your principles have a strong hold on you.

"Thanks" Brooke said. At this point she was semiconscious.

"For what?" he asked rubbing her back.

"For waiting."

"I told you, I'll wait forever for you Brooke. I love you."

With that her eyes were completely shut, and her breathing was even. Lucas could feel her chest raising and falling, to him there was nothing more beautiful then seeing the girl he loved sleeping in his arms.

* * *

The door opened and a girl walked in with a rolling suitcase and a laptop on her shoulder, the room was dark already. It was probably due to curfew, it was about ten minutes passed it.

"Turn it off" Rachel yelled from her bed. So far she had not had a roommate, and she was happy as can be with that.

"Sorry, I really have to get my things ready for tomorrow" the blond entering the room said, "you're Rachel, right?"

Rachel sat herself up and looked at the blond, "yeah" she said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Erika Marsh, I work for the school paper" she told her setting her laptop on the desk, "I'm sorry to wake you, I just really want to get a head start on next week's paper."

"Why are you here?" Rachel asked, it was a good question. Erika was the head of the paper, why would she be at a sport event.

"Our sport columnist was sick, and everyone else is busy with their assignments" she pointed out, "so, I'm the only one."

Rachel laid her head back on her pillow and tried to close her eyes, "can you work with the light off?" she asked, "I have an early morning practice tomorrow, and if I'm not ready to go Brooke will have a cow" she informed.

"Brooke" Erika asked, "as in the little James sister?"

"That's right" Rachel said in a duh tone.

"You know a lot about them?" Erika asked.

"Yes"

"Like what?" Erika asked, her tone was more of a gossiping tone then a caring one.

"Like the fact that they think that because they date the Scott boys they rule the school, or that because Brooke is the captain of the squad she can do whatever the hell she wants" she spat.

"What about their parents?" Erika asked.

"They're dead" Rachel said.

"Oh really?" Erika asked, she walked over to Rachel's bed and sat next to her.

At this point it all felt more like gossip then reporting, Erika wanted to know everything. And to get the information she had to act like she wanted to gossip with Rachel, at least that's what the girl seemed to be interested in.

"Yeah" Rachel said, " I heard that they have this _huge_ trust fund, but they don't touch it."

"Wow" Erika gasped, "what else?"

"Well what I know is because of Bevin, she was there when they started to talk about something about that. And one day at practice she just blurred it all out" Rachel stated.

"Looks like this Bevin girl is the one to talk to" Erika stated.

"I guess."

"What triggered her to spill the beans?" Erika asked anxious for the answer.

"They were talking about colleges or something like that , and how both of them were going to Stanford because that's where their parents went."

"Stanford huh, that's an expensive school" Erika told her.

"It's not like they don't have the money" Rachel spat.

"So they are rich, orphans" Erika said.

"Yes" Rachel said with a grin. She liked the way that sounded, it was something to definitively rub on Brooke's face.

Both girls continued to talk through the night, no one really know at what time exactly they had gone to bed. They were so deep into their 'gossip' , that time didn't really seem important.

* * *

After spending a great night's sleep, Haley woke up next to the one person she wanted to be with at the moment. Looking to the body laying next to her, she smiled when she saw him still asleep. He looked so peaceful and calm laying there. She was so lost in her view that she never heard the door, someone outside was knocking. Lucky for her the body next to her heard it, Nathan started to stir and saw her staring right at him. "Hey" She said giving him a sweet smile.

"Hey" he replied, "who was at the door?" he asked rubbing his eyes.

Haley looked at him confused, "what?" she asked.

"The door" he said again, "there was someone knocking" he told her.

"I didn't hear it" she said. Right as she was done with saying that the person knocked again.

"Nate open up" the voice on the other side said.

"Oh my god" Haley said, she turned facing from the door back to Nathan with a expression of a deer caught in headlights.

"I'll get it" he said getting up.

"Wait" she whispered grabbing his wrist at extreme speed.

"What is it?" he asked her confused.

"It's Jake" she whispered.

"Come on guys, it's me Jake" Jake said from the outside.

Nathan's eyes suddenly understanding why she was acting the way she does, he looked at her then back to the door.

Haley nodded her head.

"Go to the bathroom" he whispered.

Haley did as told and ran to the bathroom, grabbing her clothes on the way. The good thing was that the previous night when she had changed to her PJs she placed her clothes on the chair by the window, which made it easy for her to grab on her way to the bathroom.

Nathan walked to the door and opened it, Jake ran passed him and sat on the bed.

"What is so important that could wait till later?" Nathan asked closing the door.

"Where is Lucas" Jake asked.

Nathan started to get nervous, "the bathroom" he said. It was the first thing that popped into his mind.

Haley was extremely worried inside the bathroom, what would Jake do if he found out that it was actually her in the bathroom. But then again, there was nothing to worry about. They didn't do anything, the only thing they did was sleep in the same bed. It's not like they had never done that before, they had already spend a night together in her house.

"Why is his bed made?" Jake questioned.

"Umm" Nathan said trying to think of his next words, "he's weird like that, he likes to make the bed when he wakes up" he said.

Jake didn't really believe him, "well I need to ask you both a question" he stated.

"Well" Nathan said, "shoot."

"Let's wait for Lucas" he stated.

"Well, umm... he...he...he....he's going to take a while" Nathan said rubbing the back of his head.

"Nate, where is he?" Jake asked, he knew his friend way to well. And he knew that when he scratched his head it meant that he didn't know what to say.

"He's" Nathan said trying to think of his next words, "he's-" before he could finish his sentence he was cut off.

"Not here" a fully dressed Haley said walking out the bathroom.

"What are you doing here?" Jake asked concerned.

"I slept with Nathan" she said. When she say his eyes widen she knew she used the wrong words. "Oh no, not like that" she said waving her hand. "What I mean is that we slept together. Not together, just in the same bed."

"What?!" Jake asked.

"Nothing happened Jake" she assured him.

"Where is Brooke?" he asked her, at this point he was a little mad.

Right as he was done the door flew open, "good morning my-" Brooke began to say but never finished when she saw Jake in the room. "Jake" she said.

"Who'd you sleep with?" he asked her angrily.

"Lucas" she answered softly.

"Why?" he asked, "why didn't you guys tell me?" he asked hurt.

"Jake, it's not that we didn't want to" Haley said walking over to him, "it's just that we were scared at what your reaction would be" she stated.

"Did you sleep with her?" Jake asked glaring at Lucas.

"Yeah" Lucas answered shrugging.

Jake jumped form his spot and ran to Lucas, "you son of a -"

"Jake, stop!" Brooke yelled running between the two boys. "We only slept in the same bed, nothing happened" she assured him the same way her sister had a few minutes ago.

Jake stepped back and looked at both his friends, "don't even think about it" he said pointing at them. "And you two go get ready" he told both girls.

"Jake" Brooke said.

"Go" was all he said.

Both girls walked out the room across the hall to their own, while Jake stayed with the guys.

"Jake, you know I would never hurt her. Right?" Nathan asked.

Jake nodded his head, "I know, you two are great guys" he said. "The way you treat Brooke, let's me know that I have nothing to worry about. It makes it a hell of a lot easier on Haley to know that you're there for her as well" he said to Lucas. He then turned his attention to Nathan, "and Nate. I know you have a passed, but I see that you have actually changed." He walked over to them "I just wanted to say thank you" Jake said, "thanks for being there. They have been through hell and back since their parents, and you are the reasons why they're so happy now. So, Thank you."

"Jake, man" Lucas said walking over to his friend and putting his hand on Jake's shoulder. "I love her, and I would never hurt her" he said.

"I know" Jake said.

"Me too" was all Nathan said. "But I think we're gonna be late to practice" he stated in a joking tone.

"Let's go" Jake said.

The three boy's walked out together, they had just had what people like to call a 'girl talk'. Not like they would tell anyone about it, they were men and men don't have girl talk.

* * *

**I know Jake was kind of an ass to the girls on this chapter, but he is only trying to protect them. He will be back to his old self soon, don't worry.**

**Please review guys, I love reading what you have to say. =D  
**


	27. Let's Win

**Thanks for all your reviews, they really make me want to update sooner. I don't think I responded any of your reviews so here are the responses, thanks again for your reviews. =D**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- I also love Tim, I think they should've totally kept him for longer. I loved seen him during the library lock episode. And be ready cuz there is way more bitchy Rachel._**

**_Dianehermans- I'm really glad you liked the last chapter, I hope you enjoy this one._**

**_Smile Please- Let me just say that your user name makes me smile (I know funny, right?) Erika and Rachel are up to something, and when it comes out it will shock you. It will affect Brooke in big way and she will need her sister more then ever, but having Lucas there will help her too._**

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- First of all let me say that I am currently reading your Sam story, it takes me longer then usual because by the time I get home I go on a run so when I get back to my house all I want to do is sleep and not look at a computer screen anymore. I mean I do that all day, but I found a solution. I am going to print it and read it before I go to sleep. =, about your review. I'm glad you liked it, and I really hope you like this one. It has a little set back for Brooke, but I can say that it's just a minor bump on the way._**

**Enjoy- =D**

Chapter 27-

Morning practice ran very smoothly, the guys did a great job focusing and making sure every basket went in. The girls concentrated and pretty much got every move right, something that had Brooke very much smiling. The whole morning had gone by so fast, none of them even realized it.

"Hey guys" Bevin said.

Haley rolled her eyes. It wasn't that she didn't like Bevin, but when she decided to open her mouth it all went downhill for Brooke.

"Hey Bevin" Peyton said walking next to Brooke who was between her and Haley.

"What are you guys up to?" she asked blocking their way.

"We're going to lunch" Brooke said a little irritated.

"Oh" Bevin said, she then stepped to the side "see ya later" she said.

"See ya" Peyton said walking out with the rest of the girls.

They walked to the a near by dinner, they walked through the door and sat in booth.

"Hello" the waitress, "can I start you with something to drink?" she asked with her pen ready to write it all down.

"I'll have an ice tea" Haley said.

"Make it two" Brooke said raising her finger.

"I'll take a coke" Peyton said.

"All right, I'll have that out for you in a minute" the waitress said.

"Thank you" all three girls said.

Once the girl had left Peyton turned back to both girls, who were sittings side by side across from her. "So, have you talked to Jake?" she asked.

"No" Brooke said, "he was very demanding this morning" she pointed out.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because we didn't spend the night together" Haley pointed out, "Brooke stayed in our room with Lucas and I went to their room" she said.

"So" Peyton stated.

"Jake didn't like that very much" Brooke said.

"Oh, come on" Peyton said, "the dude spent the night with me" she told them not knowing that neither of them knew about it.

Both girls widen their eyes, "what?" they said together.

"yeah" Peyton said as if was no big deal, " after all the rooms got switched around, Bevin ended up with Theresa . Millicent didn't come, so I had the room to myself and he came and kept me company last night" She finished.

"Then why did he make such a big deal?" Brooke questioned.

"Maybe because you're his younger cousins" she said, "both of you" she said when she saw Haley eyeing her.

"Only by two months" Haley stated.

"Still, he sees you as his little sisters. He just wants what's best for you" Peyton said in a reassuring tone.

"I guess" Brooke said.

"Have you talked to the guys?" she asked.

"What is this, twenty questions?" Haley asked.

Peyton chuckled a little, "jus wondering" she said.

The waitress brought their drinks and took their orders, then she disappeared once again.

When their food was delivered to them all three girls enjoyed their meals, not worrying about anything other then the competition and how great their routine was.

* * *

Jake walked through the hall of the hotel, he stopped once he reached the door he was looking for. He hesitated a little before actually knocking, for some weird reason he was nervous.

"Hey" the girl on the other side and pulled him to a hug, "come in" she said when she pulled away.

Jake walked over to one of the beds and sat on it, "we need to talk" he stated. He looked around "where is Haley?" he asked.

"In the bathroom" Brooke told him, "what's up?" she asked taking a seat next to him.

"We should wait for her" he said.

"Hey Jake" Haley said walking out of the bathroom, she was a little shocked to see her cousin in the room.

"Come here" he set patting the spot on his other side.

"What's wrong?" she asked a little worried sitting next to him.

"I wanted to talk to both of you" he said, "I know I acted like a jerk today, and you really didn't deserve it" he told them. "I just, well. It's hard to think straight when you find your cousins who are like your sisters in a hotel room with guys" he said with out taking a breath, "I'm sorry, and I know nothing happened. I just wished you would've told me" he said.

"Jake" Haley said rubbing his arm, "it's fine, we understand" she told him.

"I have a question" Brooke said, when she felt both her relatives looking at her she began to speak. "Well, why is it a bad thing that we spent the night with our boyfriends when you spent it with your girlfriend?" she stated more then asked.

Jake was busted, you could see it on his face that he was not expecting that. "Who told you that?"

"Peyton" Brooke said.

"What did you guys do?" Haley asked curious.

"Nothing" Jake said standing up.

"Really" Brooke asked mischievously.

"yes" Jake said, then he turned to the door " I have to go, I'll see you two at the game" he told them.

"Bye Jakey" Brooke said, "we love you."

"I love you two too" he said.

All three laughed at how funny that sounded, Jake walked out the door and both girls walked to their bags to get ready for the game.

* * *

The game was going great, the boys were playing the game of their lives. At this rate there was no way in hell they wouldn't make it to state, they played their hearts out.

On the side lines the girls cheered their pom-poms out as well, Brooke making sure that everyone's arms were on position and that every yell was at the same time.

"Go, Ravens, Go" the girls yelled.

"It looks like the Ravens will be taking this win home, yet another one this year. The Ravens have won every game played this season, and so far they are doing great" Mouth said into his microphone.

The game kept going, more intense then ever. When the final buzzer finally signaled that the game was over everyone ran to the middle of the court to celebrate, yet another victory.

"Ravens win, seventy six to sixty four. I big gap in between, and once again they are victorious" Mouth said.

"You did it" Both girls said walking over to Jake.

Jake pulled both his cousins to a hug, then pulled away and looked at both of them "thanks guys" was all he said and pulled them back to him.

"Mind if I get a hug" Peyton said walking up to them.

Both girls stepped back and walked away.

"Good game Jagielski" Peyton said.

"Thank you" he said, "now we get to see you do your thing" he stated.

Peyton gave him an embarrassed look and pulled him closer to kiss him, "guess you have to wait to see" she said mischievously.

* * *

The night of the game everyone slept in the same rooms as the previous night, Haley spent it with Nathan, Lucas with Brooke, and Jake with Peyton. Not that there was a lot going on, the boys were so tired from their game that they took a shower and jumped to immediately . The girls were also tired from cheering and so much practicing Brooke had them doing.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Lucas asked the head leaning on his chest.

"A little" she said honestly, she was nervous. So far she knew that all the girls knew the routine and that they nailed it, But she was still missing one girl. And it wasn't for sure that she would be showing up.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

Brooke let out a breath, "Millie" she said. "She's still not back, and I really need her tomorrow" Brooke told him.

"Can't you do it with one less girl" he asked confused.

"yeah" she huffed, then she turned so that her chin was on his chest and she could see him. "But the thing is that the routine with her in it is so much better" she let out, "there are tons of awesome moves, but we need her."

"Hey" he said pushing a strand of hair out of her face, "you'll do great" he assured her.

"Thanks" she said.

"For what" he asked confused.

"For being here" she said, then turned back to her position and close her eyes to go to sleep.

* * *

After what you could call a great night of sleep everyone was up and running, they were having breakfast downstairs in the hotel restaurant. The coach had told them that they would meet there, then they would go the cheer competition and eventually have lunch and leave back to Tree Hill.

The room was noise for everyone was talking at the same time. The table was huge, they were all sitting there from coaches , to bus drivers, to the Basketball team, and the cheerleaders, they were all there sitting around the same long table.

"Well good morning"

At the sound of the voice Brooke turned to face the person standing behind her, she quickly jumped from her sit and brought the person to a tight hug. "When did you get here?" she asked.

"Like thirty minutes ago" Millie said, "the plane landed and I took a taxi here. I hope it's fine but this is all I have" she said pointing to her cheer uniform. She had just arrived in the states from her trip to England, and the only thing she managed to bring with her was her cheer uniform.

"It's totally cool" Brooke said, "are you going back to Tree Hill with us?" she asked her.

"yes" Millie said, "is that okay?"

"Of course" Haley said.

Brooke sat on Lucas' lap and let Millie sit on her chair, she was already done with her breakfast and so was Lucas so they were only there because Whitey didn't let them leave.

After talking for about twenty minutes Whitey interrupted, he stood up and looked around to make sure everyone was done. "All right kids, the bus is outside and we will get going to the competition now" he stated.

They all stood up and walked to the bus, Most of them took the same seat as on the way there. Haley sat with Nathan, Brooke sat with Lucas, Peyton with Jake, but Millie wasn't there when they picked their seats. She walked to the seat right across from Brooke and in front of Jake and Peyton, she sat on the aisle seat and turned to face Brooke to talk.

"Millie, who's sitting with you?" Brooke asked.

"No one" she simply said.

"Hey guys" Mouth said walking towards them.

"Mouth" Brooke said perking up, "you should sit with Millie" she stated, "so we can talk" she said trying to sound more casual. She didn't want them to know that she was actually trying to set hem up.

"Sure" Mouth said, he walked over to her and took the window seat.

* * *

"Thank you ladies" the host said walking to the stage, "now we have three more schools, so get ready for the grand finale" she said. "Up next we have the Bear Creak Warriors" she announced and the next squad ran to the stage.

The music began and they started their routine, it was actually pretty good. Something no one was expecting, since the warriors were always so predictable.

"They're good" Haley said to her sister a little worried.

"we're better" Brooke told her confident.

They turned to watch the rest of the routine and, when they were done they looked at each other as the squad walked toward the backstage.

The host walked back to the stage and announced the next squad, "okay, the next squad are the Tree Hill Ravens" she announced and Brooke and the rest of the girls walked out.

"Don't you wish mommy could be here" Rachel said softly to Brooke.

Brooke's face fell, and she felt tears forming in her eyes. The thought of what she just heard was true, she always wished her mom was there to see her do anything. She always hoped that her parents would be there whenever she accomplished something.

"Brooke" Haley said walking over to her sister, "what's wrong" she said wrapping an arm around her.

"I just wish mom was here" she said trying to put a strong face on, "that's all" she smiled. Which was clearly fake.

"She would be so proud of you right now" Haley said, "and she will be" she told her giving her a hug. "Now let's do this" she said walking to the stage.

Brooke took her position and thought of her sister's words, she gave the music guy the signal and the music began. The mix created by the one and only Peyton Sawyer was unpredictable, even people in the crowd were dancing. Brooke broke from her thoughts and began to dance along with the rest of her squad. The routine felt forever long, since she had to keep on her fake smile the whole time.

When they were done she ran out without talking to anyone, she just wanted to be alone so she went straight to the bathroom.

"What the hell did you say to her" Peyton yelled at Rachel.

"Nothing" she said, "I only made a 'mommy' comment" she said using air quotes.

"You bitch" Haley said slapping her, she then turned around and walked towards the bathroom.

When she reached the bathroom she knocked on every door to make sure it was Brooke, but as it turns out she was the only person in there. "Brooke" she said knocking.

"I'm fine Haley, just go back" she said between sniffs.

"Honey, you're not okay. Now open the door" she order sweetly, she didn't want Brooke to feel like she was demanding anything.

"I'm fine" she said again.

"Brooke" Haley said more serious, "you open this door or I'll crawl under" she said. When she notice that her sister wasn't making an effort to open the door she crawled under the door, the first thing she did was poke her head. She saw her sister sitting on the floor with her back against the door, the only thing she could hear was her sister sniffing. She pulled herself in there and sat right next to Brooke, pulling her to a tight hug she kissed the top of her head. "Talk to me Brooke" Haley begged.

Brooke just leaned her head on Haley's shoulder and tried to breath again, not an easy task but she managed to do it. When her breathing was a little more even she looked at Haley, "I'm sorry" she said.

"Why?" Haley asked confused.

"You always have to check on me, I'm sorry I'm not stronger" she said honestly. "I just hate thinking about it, I hate it when people say mean comments that know will hurt me, and I hate letting them get to me" she said angry.

"Hey" Haley said pulling her closer, if that was even possible. "Those comments mean nothing, okay?" she said assuring her, "mom and dad are always watching over us, and right now they are extremely proud of you" she stated.

"You think so?"

"I know so" Haley said trying to smile at her sister. "Now, what do you say we go out there and collect that trophy?"

Brooke nodded and let her sister pull her up, she whipped her tears and started opening the door. "Wait" she said, "how do you know we won?"

Haley smiled, "because, my little sister had a kick ass routine" she stated. Haley then grabbed Brooke's hand and walked out the bathroom with her.

Right as they were walking over to the rest of the squad when the host asked for all the squad to go to the stage, they already had the results and they needed all of them on stage.

"Welcome back ladies" she said, "this year there was lots of competition. But this is only the pre-elimination for the classic. Only fifteen of the twenty schools here today will make it."

The host read the list and as expected both the Warriors and the Ravens made it to the finals, something that brought Brooke to tears. She was finally able to let them go, and people wouldn't ask question because they would think it was because of the competition.

Haley on the other hand, knew her sister to well. She walked over to her and linked arms with Brooke, Brooke leaned her head on her shoulder and they walked to the back to get their bags and leave soon. Plus, they really didn't want to bump into Rachel. Haley knew she wasn't going to be able to hold herself back, when it came to her sister she was fearless.

* * *

**I know this chapter is kinda short, but I think it has all it needs. Please tell me what you thought of Rachel's comment, it totally just popped into my mind and I just had to write it.**

**Please review, thanks =D**


	28. The Way Back

Thanks for all your reviews, I hope you guys like this chapter. I think I responded to all of you with PM except for Smile Please who doesn't have an account, but if I didn't here is a little extra.

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- Thanks for your review. I have big plans for Brooke, but in they include her being happy and having lots of Brucas fluff in the near future. That is after the whole Erika thing passes._**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- Thanks for all your support._**

**_Dianehermans- I'm glad you liked the last chapter, there is some more Brucas here and Haley being there her sister._**

**_Smile Please- Rachel deserved the slap, but I see more crap coming her way from the sister and some from Peyton._**

**_GottaluvNaley- Trust me, Rachel will get her fair share of bitch slaps._**

**Thanks to all and ENJOY.**

Chapter 28-

After the competition, they all took their respective seats on the way back home. Millie was an extra, but she was more then happy to sit next to Mouth. Not that he didn't like it either, Mouth had a huge smile on his face as the spoke most of the time.

Brooke sat in the same position as she did on the way there, her legs were over Lucas' but this time her head rested on him as he held her close to him. She was leaning forward and sleeping.

"What happened?" Nathan asked Haley who was sitting next to him. Her knees where bent as she laid on her back and her head rested on his lap all while he rubbed her hair.

Haley gave him a half smile, "Rachel" she softly said.

"Oh" Nathan said pushing from her forehead back. "What did she say?"

"She said some stupid comment about mom."

"She's a real bitch" he said as a matter of fact. Haley smiled at him.

He was just so nice to her, Always there when she needed him. Just like his brother was there for her sister. Something that relieved her, since she didn't have to be the only one there to help Brooke when she got all emotional.

Haley had told her sister that she would sit with her on the bus ride home, just to make sure she was over the whole thing and if she needed someone to talk to. But Brooke told her she would be fine, that she really shouldn't let Rachel get to her. So, she had taken her previous seat next to the one person she wanted to be with if she was to fall asleep on the way. Lucas was just such a comfy pillow.

"She's lucky to have you, you know" Nathan whispered.

"You think so?"

"I know so" he told her reassuring. Then he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Thanks" she said. Then she turned to look at her sister real quick.

* * *

An hour into the ride and they still had a while to go, most of the bus had fallen asleep. It was dark already and the next day they had school. Who had the genius idea of having a competition on a Sunday?

Brooke woke up and started to look around, not that she saw much. The only thing she could see was Millie and Mouth sleeping pretty snuggled together across from her, then behind them was Jake and Peyton just sitting side by side with their heads bumping.

Lucas opened his eyes when he felt her moving next to him, and pull her legs away from him. He blinked a few times to adjust them the looked at her, "what's wrong?" he asked worried. Her face was scared as she looked up and down the aisle of the bus.

"Where is Haley?" she asked panicking.

Lucas pushed her back to her seat gently, then he looked into her beautiful eyes. "She's with Nathan" he said softly, "sleeping" he told her after.

"Where?" she asked still panicked.

Lucas saw her expression and felt terrible for her, but he didn't understand why she was acting this way. "Right behind us" he stated.

Brooke kneeled on the seat and looked back, only to see that her sister was in fact with Nathan and sleeping. They looked so peace full sleeping, her head on his lap while her body was curled sideways, and his hand rested on her back to make sure she didn't fall.

She let out a big breath and turned back around, she stood up and walked to the seat behind her.

"What are you doing?" Lucas asked grabbing her arm.

"I need her" she simply said pulling away from him.

She moved a strand of hair form her sister's face and started talking, "Haley" she said softly, "Hales, wake up" she continued.

Haley stir a little, which cause Nathan to wake. She looked up and saw her sister scrunched down "what is it?" she asked.

"Can you sit with me" Brooke said with a sad face.

Haley noticed her sister's face and sat up, she rubbed her eyes and pulled Brooke's arm. Haley managed to sit in the middle of both seats and got her sister to sit by the window, she wanted to be there for her sister. But she couldn't just kick Nathan out.

"What's wrong?" Haley asked her sister, who's head was resting on her shoulder while Haley played with her hair.

"I don't want to be alone" Brooke chocked as she said it.

Haley pulled from he sister so that she was looking at her, she placed her hand on Brooke's cheek. "Brooke, you're never alone" she stated, "if I'm not there, then Lucas will, or Jake, or Even Nathan" she pointed out.

Brooke simply nodded with a tear falling down her cheek.

Haley quickly whipped the tear with her thumb and pulled her sister to a tight hug.

"I'm gonna go sit with Lucas" Nathan said. He could see that they were having an emotional moment, and he just felt that he should give them space.

"Okay" Haley said looking at him, but never letting go of Brooke "thanks."

"It's fine" he said then kissed her forehead, "I'll see you later" he stated.

Once Nathan was gone Haley scoot to be comfortably sitting on the seat and let her sister rest her head on her lap, just like she had been a few minutes ago with Nathan.

There were no words needed, Brooke just needed to feel that her sister was there for her. She needed to know that she could count on Haley no matter what, and no matter what the situation was.

* * *

After so much crying Brooke had fallen to a complete sleep, she looked almost like a dead body. She didn't hear anything and didn't feel anything. The bus had come to a complete stop and she didn't feel it, all the students were talking and walking towards the exit. All but Haley and Brooke that is, Broke was not waking up no matter what.

When the bus was pretty much empty Nathan looked over at her, he knew she wasn't of the bus. He would've seen her walk by him, but he never did. Nathan turned to face her and saw Brooke still sleeping, "is she okay?" he asked.

"Yeah" Haley said, "I just need to figure a way to get her home" she told him. It was going to be a difficult task, since they were pretty much the same size.

"I'll take her" he said.

"Lucas" Haley said, "it's fine. I can manage" she told him.

"Haley, let the men do his job" Nathan said standing next to his brother.

Haley eyed him up and down, "fine" she said giving up. There was no way she would win, it was two against her.

Lucas reached over and pulled Brooke to him, she stirred a little and rested her head on his shoulder to get comfortable.

Haley let out a small chuckle form her seat, then she stood up and walked behind Lucas who was carrying her sister.

"What's with her?" Jake asked when he saw Lucas walk out of the bus with Brooke in his arms.

"Tired" Haley said stepping out behind Lucas with Nathan right behind her.

"Oh" Jake said, "I'll get the bags, you get her to the car" he told Haley.

Haley nodded and started walking to her car, Lucas following right behind. When they reached it she opened the passenger door for Lucas to place her.

"Are you going to be fine with her?" Nathan asked.

Haley gave him a quizzical look, "what do you mean?"

"Like taking her out of the car" he said.

Haley let out a small laugh, "yes" she said, "besides Jake will be there. He needs a ride home after all" she told him.

"In that case" he said getting closer, "I'll see you tomorrow" he said leaning down to kiss her.

"No PDA, please" Jake said walking over to them and interrupting the nice moment.

"Oh shut up" Haley said, she then pulled Nathan closer and kissed him on the lips. It was a quick kiss, but he was full of passion. "That was good" she said pulling away.

"Bye" he said giving her a quick peck.

"Let's go" Lucas said walking over to them. The whole time they were out there he was making sure that Brooke was well strapped in, so that nothing would happen to her in case of an accident. "Bye guys" he said to both Haley and Jake, then he walked away with his brother.

"Wanna drive?" Haley asked her cousin holding her keys in front of his face.

Jake frowned a little, he really didn't want to drive.

"Please" Haley semi begged.

"Fine" he huffed, then he took the keys from her and walked to the car.

Haley jumped in the back seat, then pushed the seat back so that Jake could sit in the driver seat. She sat in the middle of the back seat with her head poking between the two front seats.

Jake started the car and put it in drive, then he drove of. "So do you always have to kiss him in front of me?" he asked his cousin.

"What do you mean?" Haley asked.

"What I mean is" he said, taking a pause to continue "do you think it's possible for you not to kiss Nathan in front of me?" Jake wondered.

"Is it make you uncomfortable?"

"Yes" he let out, "extremely."

Haley thought for a second, when she saw Jake turned to face her then quickly turning to face the road she answered him. She could tell that he was uncomfortable by the whole kissing situation "fine" she said, "I'll tell Nathan you don't want me to kiss him."

"Thank you" Jake said.

* * *

"Good morning class" Mr. Clemet said, "I hope you had an awesome weekend, I know I did" he told the class. "So, we have no announcements this morning. I decided to have a little short activity, after all we are only in here for fifteen minutes. You will get with a group of four people and tell each other what you did this weekend, try and make it interesting for the other person."

"I guess we are a group" Jake said looking at both his cousins.

"That's right" Brooke said smiling.

"Hey, you guys want one more" the boy said standing next to them.

"Sure" Jake said nicely.

"So, Brooke. You go first" Haley said.

"Fine" Brooke said looking at her sister, "I think it's pretty obvious what I did, but I'll still tell you" she said smiling. "I had a cheer competition, and watched the Ravens win this weekend. It was awesome."

"Haley" Jake said.

"Same" she said.

"I won the game" Jake said proud of himself, "it was awesome, but I couldn't have done it with this two cheering there for me" he said bringing both his cousins to a side hug.

"Who said we were cheering for you" Brooke asked joking.

"Then who?" Jake asked.

"You" Haley said, "who else could we cheer for?"

"I love you" Jake said.

"Me too" both girls said at the same time, then they broke out laughing.

"What about you Sean?" Haley said.

"I hung out with my friends, then my new friend came home from England and we hung out at his house. Which let me just tell you it's huge" he said, "I swear his dad is like a freaking agent or something" he said still not believing how big the house was.

"Julian?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah" Sean said, "you know him?"

"Not really" Brooke said, "we know his sister, Millicent" she told him.

"Yeah, she's cool. I guess" Sean said.

They had all finished talking about their weekend so they began to just talk, it wasn't like the teacher would notice. The whole class was talking at the same time, so there was no telling what they were really talking about.

"Where do you guys go next?" Sean asked.

"Well" Brooke said, "it's B day, so I have French" she said.

"Calculus" Jake said.

"Computers" Haley said.

"You?" Jake asked him. How impolite would it be if they didn't ask him back.

"World History" he simply said.

"Oh" Haley said, "Nathan has that next" she told him.

"yeah" Sean said, "he's in my class" he stated.

"Cool" Jake said. He was about to say something else but was cut of by the bell, announcing that it was time to go to their next class.

* * *

"How great was the competition?" Bevin semi asked taking her seat.

"Hi Bevin" Rachel said realizing that she had taken the empty seat next to her.

"Hey" Bevin said, "So who did you get stuck with?"

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked confused.

"Rooming, at the hotel" Bevin elaborated.

"Oh" Rachel said in realization, "Erika" was all she said.

"Marsh?" Bevin asked getting a nod in return, "you didn't say anything about Brooke, right?" Bevin asked. She knew that Erika was trying to find something wrong with both sisters, not that she should find anything.

When Rachel didn't say anything she asked again, "Right?" she said.

"Fine" Rachel said, "I might have let a few things slip" she admitted.

"Like what?"

"Nothing" Rachel said taking her pen in her hand once more, "now can you please let me do my bell work."

Bevin got the hint and left her alone, she opened her notebook and began her own bell work.

* * *

"Hello Mr. Scott" Haley said taking the chair next to him.

"Hey" he simply said.

Haley placed her books down and turned to face him, but he seemed very out of it. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing" he shrugged.

"Nathan" she said raising her eyebrows.

It took him a second to actually cave, but he knew that the girl wouldn't stop asking. So why not just tell her, "were you with Sean this morning?" he asked giving up.

"Yeah" she said, "why?" she asked confused. The only thing she did with the boy was talk during class, which was basically and assignment.

"Nothing" he said looking back at his notebook.

"Nathan" she said placing her hand on his shoulder, "what's wrong?" she asked concerned.

"I just don't like the guy" he admitted.

Haley gave him a nod pursing her lips, "are you jealous?" she asked curious.

"No" he quickly said turning to face her.

"Yes" she said softly, "you are" she continued. "I don't know why, it's not like I like the guy. He's not my type" she said.

"And what's your type?" he asked curious.

She looked deep into his eyes, "you" she simply said. Then the teacher walked in and began class, so they both had to turn and face the front. But not before they smiled at each other.

* * *

Meanwhile in a class in the same department Brooke was sitting next to her special someone, let's hope that he can save her from what was coming next in her life.

"Alright class" Mr. Sheperd said clapping his hand so that the class would quiet down, "today we will be dissecting a frog" he said pointing to a container with frogs. "Your dissecting group would be the same people sitting at your table. Please be careful" he said, "Now, each table has three people. So, I want you to send one person up and get gloves and lab coats. One to get the frog and tools, and one to get the cover for the table and get it ready for you to begin" Mr. Sheperd stated. "Let's get to work" he said clapping his hands together.

"Dim" Brooke said, "you get the lab coats and gloves, I'll get the table ready" she said, "and you get the frog and tools" she told Lucas.

After Brooke had order them what to do, both boys went and got the supplies they needed.

Brooke walked back to her table and set a big white table cover, then she taped the ends under the table so it would slide. Lucas go there right when she was done and placed the tools down, then he put the frog with the tray down. Last but not least, Tim got there with their uniforms. They all put their lab coats on and goggles.

"You look so cute" Lucas told Brooke in a cute voice.

"Thanks" Tim said.

Both Brooke and Lucas looked at each other quizzically, Tim was so stupid sometimes.

She leaned over to him and whispered in his ear, "thanks."

Everyone was dissecting their frog, and much to Lucas' surprise Brooke was doing quite well. The girl dissected like she was a pro.

"Ms. James" the teacher said walking behind her, "have you done this before?" he questioned.

Brooke nodded, "yes" she said turning around, "but it was digital" she stated.

"You must have gone to a very expensive school" Mr. Sheperd commented not really thinking about it. Not like he knew what school she went to previously, all he knew was that she was a new student as well as her sister.

"You could say that" Brooke said softly then turned back to work. She hated it when people said thing without knowing her, when they just assumed. Why did they have to assume anything, wouldn't it be easier if they just asked.

"You okay?" Lucas asked her once Mr. Sheperd was out of hearing range.

"Yeah" she said softly, "thanks."

"I'm always here" he told her, "remember that" he whispered to her. He got a small nod and that was good enough for him. Just that small nod made him smile, it meant that she understood, and that she knew. She knew that no matter what he was always there to protect her.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review. =D**


	29. You're Good

**Thanks to the everyone for reading, and thanks to the reviews as well. I didn't PM anyone this week since I updated the story yesterday, so here is the response to the reviews.**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- I never did the frog dissection thing, I kinda skipped the day I was to grossed out. But I did do the worm and a fish, I also skipped the day they did the pig. To sad =(. If you like jealous Nathan then I hope you like this chapter, I kinda reversed the roles. =D_**

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- I hope you like this one, I know that you thought that the bomb would be dropped last chapter but it wasn't. However it will be next chapter, and I'm going to talk to you tonight if you're online and if I'm home. I have a few questions. Thanks for no spoilers…_**

**_Dianehermans- In this chapter the roles are reversed, like I told Haley Elizabeth James if you like jealousy then you'll like this chapter. It also has some really cute Brucas._**

**_Smile Please- No sorry, they will not get together. Brucas will be pretty stable, but that doesn't mean that they won't have their struggles (which will include Julian)._**

**Thanks to all, and ENJOY…=D**

Chapter 29-

The past week had been great, and pretty much drama free. There was no Brandon, and no Rachel with her stupid comments. It was just them having fun, and hopefully not having drama for a while. The girls liked the happy side of life, it was a side they didn't see often.

"Why are you so smiley?" Haley asked her boyfriend when they reached their usual spot at the beach.

They always ended up at the same place, the same beach. Watching the waves. Every morning they would run to the beach, then they would have to run back. But somewhere along to time they had been doing it, they decided to leave earlier so that they could enjoy the sun raising.

Nathan looked back at her, "it's been an awesome week" he stated.

"Yeah" she let out.

"And" he added, he waited for her to give him a _tell me_ look "you haven't talked to Sean all week" he pointed out.

Haley chuckled a little. The boy was so cute when he was jealous. "That's what you think" she said trying to piss him off.

Nathan raised his eyebrows.

"Fine" she caved, "I haven't talked to him. But he has talked to me" she pointed out.

"So what you just don't answer?"

"No" she said leaning her head on his shoulder again, "I told him you don't want me talking to him" she said joking. But Nathan didn't seem to catch the sarcasm in her tone.

"What!?" he asked pulling away.

"It's true" she said answering his question.

"Haley, I didn't say I didn't want you talking to him" he said.

"No" she said, "you imposed it."

"When?"

"All the time" she let out, "every time you see me talking to him, you get this look. And your eyes they narrow just a bit" she said trying to imitate him, "oh, and you clench your fist on your side" she told him.

Nathan didn't even realize he did all those things, maybe cause he was so use to it. He also didn't realize he was doing it at that very moment she was describing it all.

"Like that" she said pointing to his fists. She let him observe for a second, when she notice him looking at his fist and realizing she was right she spoke. "See" she said.

"You do this to me" he pointed out.

"Oh, do I?" she asked flirtatious.

"Well" he said thinking about it, "maybe it's the new girl" he stated.

The only new girl Haley knew was Millie, and there was no way in hell that she could do that to him. The girl was in a whole grade lower, and she was totally into the nerd type.

"She is cute" Haley said playing along.

"Yeah" Nathan said looking at the sky and letting out a breath, "she's something."

"Let's go dreamer boy" she said standing up and dusting the sand from her butt.

"I don't know" he said, "I like dreaming about the new girl" he said. Then he stood up and started to walk towards the street with her, his arm draped over her shoulder.

"Seriously?" Haley asked a little jealous.

"What?" he asked innocently, "she's cute" he stated, "and she's really smart. Her smile lights up my day" he continued talking corny, "and her hair always smells so good, no matter what she's doing" he told her.

You could see the jealous face on Haley, but Nathan could see it. He was looking forward at the road as he spoke, as if he was talking to the wind.

"And her eyes" he said, "god, they'r-" he stopped when he felt her move his arm.

Haley removed his arm from around her and dropped it hard next to him, then she started running back home as fast as she could.

Nathan saw her run and laughed softly and quickly, he then looked up and started chasing after her. Lucky for him he was a pretty fast runner, and reached her in no time. When he reached her he grabbed her arm and stopped her along with himself, "what was that?" he asked.

Haley turned to face, "well if you want to talk about Millie in such a dreamy way, you might want to talk to her. Or someone who cares for that matter" she stated then she turned back around and started walking.

He ran up to her and stood in front of her blocking her way, "Haley" he said holding onto her shoulders.

Haley looked at him with a bit of sadness in her eyes, at that moment she was really hurt. All she wanted to do was walk passed him and walk in her house, but that wasn't an option since he was holding onto her so tightly.

He saw her blink a few times trying to hold her tears in, he then pulled her to a tight hug and held her tight. But she wasn't returning it, she was just standing there. "It's you" he let out, "the new girl. It's you" he said still holding her.

Haley pulled him away so that she could see his face, but wasn't very successful. She was still being held onto tightly, but her hands rested on his chest while her elbows were bent. She looked up at him confused, "what" she asked letting the tear fall.

"You're the new girl" he said, when he saw that she was still confused he elaborated more. "Your cute, and have and amazing smile, I swear it makes me smile every time I see it. You always smell really good, no matter what your doing. I mean we just went running and your hair still smells amazing" he said sniffing it, he let out a chuckle "if you would've let me finish the eyes part, you would've know it was you."

"How?" she asked him softly.

"Because you're the only girl I know that has big chocolate eyes" he stated.

Haley smiled at that, then she reached up and kissed him quickly. "That wasn't funny" she told him then hugged him wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Hey" he said, "I had to get you back for the Sean thing" he said.

"I was kidding" she told him.

"About that being funny" he asked confused.

She shook her head which was still resting on his chest, "about Sean. I didn't tell him you didn't want me to talk to him" she admitted, "I just said it would be best if we didn't talk" she said.

"Your good" he said, he pulled her away so he could look into her eyes. The eyes that somehow managed to make him fall in love with her, the ones that could make him do anything she wanted him to with just a look. "Let's get you inside, you need to get ready. Tim's waiting" he said.

"Don't remind me" she said letting her head drop back.

* * *

"Hey pretty girl" Lucas said walking up to his girlfriend.

"Hey boyfriend" she said with a grin, then she hugged him tightly and kissed him deeply. It felt as if they hadn't kissed in a long time, when in fact they had been together just the previous day.

"Wanna get outta here?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah" she said.

Practice had just finished and everyone had left, well almost everyone. There was still a few people left, one of them being a very snobby news reported watching from behind the bleachers.

"Sushi?" he asked taking her hand and walking towards the gym door, he had both her and his back hanging over his shoulder.

"Sound's good" Brooke said, "mom use to take me and Haley all the time when we were little" she told him.

"Sounds fun" Lucas said.

"Yeah" she told him.

They walked out of the gym, and let the door slam behind them.

_So they like sushi_ Erika said to herself from under the bleachers.

Brooke and Lucas walked to his car so that they could go to dinner, even though it was a pretty early dinner.

"Do you mind if I invite Haley?" she asked him.

Lucas shook his head while he put their bags in the trunk "not at all."

"Great" Brooke squealed, then she pulled her phone out and called her sister.

_"Brooke" Haley said when she answered her phone._

_"Hey" Brooke said, "so Lucas is taking me to get some Sushi, you wanna come?" she asked her sister._

_"Awe Brookie, I'd love to" she admitted, "but I have some stuff to do, besides you two need some alone time" she told her sister, it was true it seemed that every time Lucas and Brooke hung out there was someone else there with them._

"Okay" Brooke said understanding, "I'll see ya at home" she said then she hung up.

"Is that a no?" Lucas asked opening the door for her.

"Nope" Brooke said sitting in.

Lucas shut her door and walked around to driver side, once he was in he started the car and looked at her. "It's just you and me" he said.

"I'm kinda glad" she said softly.

"I thought you liked spending time with her" he said a little confused.

"Yeah" Brooke admitted, "but we never get alone time" she told him. "Just the two of us, I mean I get to talk to her every day and I love it. But there is never you and me time, and let's face it we need it" she told him.

"Well does she ditch you for Nathan?" Lucas asked.

Brooke shook her head, "no, but that's different" she said, "they get their alone time everyday" she told him.

"Is that so?" Lucas asked her. He didn't know about the morning runs they had, he knew Nathan did it but he didn't know that now he had a running partner.

"Yeah" Brooke said smiling, "they go running every morning" she told him.

"I didn't know Haley ran" he admitted.

"Yeah" Brooke said.

They pulled up to the restaurant and Lucas handed the keys to the Valet and they walked in. The hostess walked them to their table and soon after a tall, thin, blond girl with piercing blue eyes walked to their table.

"Good evening" she said politely, "my name is Sharon and I will be your waitress for this evening, may I start you with something to drink" she asked.

"Yes, I'll have and ice tea" Brooke said.

"Okay" Sharon said, then she turned to Lucas.

"I'll have a coke" he said.

"Alright, I'll be right back with your drinks" she told them, then she turned around and walked away from the table.

"You look beautiful" Lucas said out of the blue.

"Thanks" Brooke said confused at his statement, it was so random. "But you do realize I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt" she informed him.

"Doesn't matter" he said, "you could be wearing a garbage bag and look beautiful, because that's who you are. A beautiful girl, inside and out" he stated.

The words made Brooke's heart pound so hard she thought it was going to jump out her chest, "Lucas" she said with a few tears in her eyes, "that was so sweet" she admitted.

He was about to say something when he was interrupted by Sharon, "alright, her is your ice tea and your coke" she said handing them their drinks. "Are you guys ready to order?"

"You know what" Lucas said taking charge, "we'll take two sushi portions to go" he told the girl.

"To go?" she asked.

"Yes" he said, "to go."

The girl walked back and handed the order to the kitchen.

"Why to go?" Brooke asked him.

"Just trust me" he said sweetly.

They talked for the rest of the time until they brought their food, the food was handed to them in two different plates and in a bag.

Lucas grabbed the bag and put some money on the table to cover for their drinks and tip, then he grabbed Brooke's hand and walked her out to get the car. The Valet handed him his car and let Brooke in closing the door behind her, then Lucas walked to the driver side and drove of.

They drove for about thirty minutes. The sushi place was not so close after all. Lucas drove and pulled up to the all so familiar court, he turn his lights of and the vehicle then walked over to open her door.

"Thank you" Brooke said once she was out.

Once she was out Lucas set the food on the picnic table, and walked over to the pole next to it so that he could turn the light on.

"Let's eat" he said pulling the food out and setting it down for them to eat.

Brooke grabbed her chop sticks and grabbed one of the rolled up piece of food, she then dipped in the sauce and put it in her mouth with some rice. Once she was done swallowing she smiled, "this is really good" she admitted.

"It doesn't look very good" Lucas said, "what the hell is this?" he asked her looking at the food weird.

"You asked me out eat sushi and you don't know what it is" Brooke asked.

Lucas nodded his head, "I heard Haley tell Nathan that you liked it" he admitted.

"Lucas" she said in awe, "you don't have to do things like this" she told him.

"I want to do things that make you happy" he admitted, "I love seen you smile."

She walked over to his side of the table and sat right next to him, she held her chop sticks and taught him how to hold them. She then showed him how you pick up the food and then eat it, Lucas did everything as told.

"That is good" he admitted when he was done swallowing.

"I told you" she said, then she leaned to him and kissed him.

Lucas leaned closer to her and deepened the kiss, the his tongue was begging for entrance which was granted immediately by Brooke. They were lost in the kiss, the passion and heat coming from it was undeniable. He fell back and was laying complete flat on the table's chair, Brooke on top of him at the moment. Her arms were wrapped around his neck while his were around her waist.

"Get a room" the heard coming from the other side of the court, then there was a ball bouncing.

Brooke pulled away and looked up, she sat back on her spot allowing Lucas to do the same.

"What are you doing here?" Lucas asked.

"It's a basketball court" he said, "and this is a basketball" he said holding the ball in front of him, "what do you think I'm doing here" he asked.

"You really know how to cut my parties short , don't ya?" Lucas said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You always interrupt my make out sessions" Lucas admitted angry.

"Fine" he said, "I'll go, but please keep it clean. We use that table too" Nathan said with a smirk.

"Eww" Brooke said scrunching her nose.

"I know" Lucas agreed. "Just go" he said to Nathan loudly.

"Fine" Nathan said, he then turned around and started bouncing his ball as he ran back home.

"Now where were we?" Lucas asked leaning to her.

"Eating" she said putting a piece of sushi in his mouth.

"Yum" he said, "want some?" he asked her.

"You betcha" she said, then leaned to him and kissed him not caring that he tasted like fish.

Once more they were lost in the kiss, but hopefully with no interruptions this time.

**I know it's kinda short, and that it's only two scenes or whatever you want to call them. But I really want you to see the happy side of them, especially since what's coming it's not so great. **

**Thanks for reading, and review if you can. =D**


	30. Happy Birthday Little Sis

**Thanks to all the reviews, they are much appreciated. **

**I have to give a special thanks to JustLikeBrookeDavis. Thanks for your help, and well I know you read it but still enjoy. =D**

**_Dianehermans_****_- Thanks for your review, but the happiness wont go for long. =(_**

**_Haley Elizabeth James_****_- I love Jealousy, and I am planning on giving some to Brucas later o. But at the moment their story line is really heavy, and it will get even heavier._**

**_Smile Please_****_- Yeah, I really like Brucas. And I would never separate them in this story. That doesn't mean that Julian might not try. _**

**_Christopher's Mommy_****_- thanks for your review, I am really glad you like the stories. I hope you enjoy this chapter. =D_**

**_Thanks to all. _**

Chapter 30-

Friday came around and the girls were ready for their game, the game that would de the one to decide if they would go to the play offs. Sure, the girls knew they would be going to the classic. But they weren't sure that the boys were in just yet.

"Brooke let's go" Haley yelled up the stairs. She was with Peyton waiting for Brooke, who as usual took forever to get ready.

Brooke came running down the stairs and stopped right where her sister and friend were waiting.

"You know I hate to be late" Haley said frustrated. It was true, the girl was so punctual it was scary sometimes.

"Oh come on" Brooke said grabbing her cheer bag and walking to the door, once they stepped out the door she turned to her sister. "You are such a drama queen sometimes, Haley James" she said then walked to the car.

"Is Millie coming?" Peyton asked. Lately Brooke had become really close to her, and it was weird when they weren't together.

"Yeah" Brooke said shoving her bag in the trunk, "we have to pick her up."

All three girls got in the bug and began their journey to Millie's house, then hopefully they would get to go to the gym on time.

"Oh yeah" Brooke said remembering, "Millie's spending the night. Her parents are out of town, and she doesn't want to stay home with her brother" she told her sister sitting next to her.

"Ok" Haley said not taking her eyes of the road.

"What about me" Peyton asked in a fake hurt tone.

"Do you even have to ask" Brooke said, "Jake would love to have you over" she said.

"But, I want to sleep with you guys. Like a girls night" Peyton said.

"Okay then" Brooke said, "we'll have a girls night" with that said they pulled up to Millie's drive way.

Haley honked three times and Millie came running out.

"Hey guys" she said walking by the car.

"In the trunk" Brooke said pointing to the back, so that Millie could put her bag there.

Millie walked to the back of the car and placed her bag in the trunk, she then walked over to Brooke's side and waited for Brooke to pulled the seat up.

"Thanks for picking me up" she said taking her seat, "Julian didn't want to take me, and my car is still not here" she told them while buckling her seat belt.

"It's fine" Haley said, then she drove of to the school.

* * *

The girls arrived just in time. The rest of the cheerleaders were stretching, then Brooke walked up to them and made sure that they all looked decent to step out to the court.

About thirty minutes later the game started and the girls were standing in there positions, while the boys walked out the locker room to the court to begin the game.

The game was one of the best the Ravens ever had, the boys were on fire. The girls definitively had something to cheer, as well as the crowd. They were on fire, basket after basket going straight in. The other team didn't stand a chance.

It was the last three minutes of the game and the game was 86-52, the Raven's were on fire. Lucas had the ball in his hands, passing it to Jake over his hands. Jake dribbled the ball towards the basket but was blocked, he passed it to Nathan who caught it and ran closer to the ball. He knew at that moment the best move was to pass it, and he did. Nathan passed the ball to Lucas faking on passing it to Jake, Lucas caught the ball and quickly passed it to Jake who was right under the hoop.

"Ten seconds left and the ball is in the hands of Jake Jagielski" Mouth said, "What would his next move be?" he questioned the crowd who went wild when Jake dunked the ball perfectly, right as the ball went in the buzzer signaled that the game was over. "Ravens win!" Mouth shouted, "Ravens win!" he repeated himself. He then turned to see at how everyone around him was celebrating.

The girls ran to the middle of the court where the rest of the team was now, as well as a few students who just couldn't contain themselves.

"Mouth" Millie said running to him, at that moment he was the only person she wanted to be with.

"We won" he said running to her, "can you believe this?" he asked.

Millie leaned closer to him and kissed him, at the moment she just wanted him to be quiet. So, she did the best thing she could think of. Sure, it wasn't the best first kiss. But hey, it was something.

"You did it" Brooke said running to Lucas.

When she reached him she jumped and he picked her up, and twirled her around. "We did it" he said softly in her ear.

Brooke pulled away from him and wiggled for him to put her down, which he did. She then stared at his beautiful blue eyes, and got lost in them. She leaned up and kissed him, a deep, passionate kiss. Something that could not be explain in words, for there was so much love in it.

"I love you" he said when they pulled apart.

"Me too" was all she said then hugged him again, she was just so happy for him.

Near them was Jake who was talking to Nathan about the last pass, apparently it was something unexpected by him. He would've thought that Nathan would take the shot, but no, he passed it helping them win by even more.

"Hey" she said walking over to them.

"So" Jake said with a goofy smile.

Nathan just rolled his eyes.

"You did great" Haley said jumping in her cousin's arms.

"Thank you" he said kissing the top of her head, "you too" he told her.

When he let her go she looked at him, "what did I do?" she asked confused.

"You changed this knuckle head" he said punching Nathan on his arm.

"Oww" Nathan whined.

"Then it was my pleasure" Haley said leaning closer to Nathan , so that her body was leaning on him.

"I'll leave you two alone" Jake said making a gross face.

"Thank you Jake" Haley said mocking him, "because when you're near I can't do this" she turned around and quickly kissed Nathan and pulled away.

"Ugh" Jake groaned, he then turned around to walk away.

"What was that about?" Nathan asked confused.

"Nothing" she said, "now" she paused, "congratulations !" she yelled really loud.

"Thanks" he said, "but you don't have to yell , Hales" he told her holding her shoulders.

"I'm just exited" she admitted, "wanna celebrate?" she asked him.

"You know I do, what did you have in mind?"

"Well" she said, "how about we just meet after you shower" she said scrunching her nose.

"Fine" he said.

They all celebrated in the middle of the court for just a little longer, then the boys went their way as did the girls.

* * *

Changing in the locker room the girls were talking among themselves, not really caring that there was other girls there. They just wanted to talk about their girls night sleepover.

"We are going to have so much fun" Brooke squealed.

"About that" Haley said shyly.

"What is it?" Brooke asked a little mad, she knew Haley. And by the looks of it, she knew she didn't want to talk about it.

Haley held her hands and looked at her sister, "I told Nathan I would meet him after the game" she let out quickly.

"What?!" Brooke asked shocked, "Haley, we had plans" she snapped at her.

"No, you had plans" Haley let her know. "Brooke, you know I do anything for you" she said, "but I really want to meet with him today" she told her.

"Why?" Brooke asked, "why today? What's so special about today?"

"Because he just won a game" Haley told her as a matter of fact.

"Haley" Brooke whined.

"Come on Brooke" Haley said, "you'll have Peyton and Millie."

"But I want you" she said.

"I'll be there, just not right away" Haley told her, "but I promise I'll be there tonight" she said pulling her to a hug.

Brooke hugged her back, "you better" she said softly.

Haley laughed at her sister's words, the she pulled away. "Now let's go, you have to take the car" she said handing Brooke the car keys.

* * *

The girls walked out together, but they mostly just met with the guys waiting outside.

"Hey there" Lucas said.

"Hey boyfriend" she said walking over to him.

"Please" Jake whined.

"What?" Lucas asked not understanding what he was whining about.

"The PDA" Jake said pointing to them.

"Come on" Peyton said, "like you never do it."

"What? No" Jake said.

Peyton walked over to him and kissed him fast and short.

"Well then" Nathan said pulling Haley to him and kissing her as well.

"Okay" Lucas said and started to kiss Brooke.

All three couples were just standing outside the gym making out, except for Millie who just looked at them very uncomfortable.

"What the hell is this" a firm voice said standing near them.

All three couples pulled way embarrassed, but there was two people in particular who were just uncomfortable with who the person was.

"What are you doing here, dad" Nathan said bitterly holding Haley tighter.

"I came to see my son play" Dan said, "but I see that he is more interested on hooking up" he said.

"Sons, dad. Sons" Nathan said, "and don't talk like that about her" Nathan warning him.

"I'm impressed Nathan" Dan joked, "you never cared before" he said.

"Just go" Nathan warned.

"Or what, you'll hit me?" Dan asked in a joking tone.

"That's right" Nathan said. He then felt Haley holding on to hi hand, which helped him relax just a bit.

Looking around you could see the shocked faces, all except for Lucas who knew Dan all too well. Jake was shocked at how this man talked about his cousin, the girl was so pure, both of them. They would never hurt anyone, yet people always misinterpreted them.

Millie was just shocked, how was this man so evil. How could he provoke his son that way. The suppose Mayor of the city was a complete ass, to both his sons.

"We should go" Peyton said trying to calm them all down.

"Yeah" Brooke said softly, "let's go."

They started walking towards their cars when Dan decided to speak again, "I want you home by midnight, Nathan" he said in a serious tone.

Nathan just kept walking, he really didn't care what his father said. Never did.

* * *

The night came and went. They all had a long night the previous night, with winning games and confronting parents. Sleeping just seemed like the way to go.

Brooke kept her word and let the girls sleepover, so Millie, Peyton, and Haley all slept in Brooke's room. Not much of a girls night, but more of a sleepover. But they still enjoyed themselves.

The boys actually spent the night as well, but they spent it in Jake's room. His parents were back, and they were very old fashion. But they didn't care. Especially Nathan, as long as he didn't have to go home he was cool with their rules.

* * *

Downstairs they were, all of them. Well, all except for Nathan and Millie who were still sleeping. But the rest, they were all there enjoying Becky's breakfast.

"You kids behave" she said walking out the door.

"Bye mom" Jake said before she shut the door.

"Finally" Brooke said walking over to Lucas, she sat on his lap and kissed him deep. Hey, she wasn't able to do it since they arrived at the house the previous day.

"Brooke!" Haley yelled at her sister.

"What?" she said pulling away form what seemed to be a very romantic kiss.

"Shall we not" she said.

"Fine" Brooke said clenching her jaw.

"I'll be right back" Haley said turning to walk out.

"Where are you going?" Jake asked. Even though he knew the answer.

"Why don't you make out with your girlfriend now that your parents are gone" she shot back.

Jake took a hint and pulled Peyton with him to the living room. If he was going to make out with her, he wasn't going to do it in front of his cousins.

"Now where were we?" Brooke asked then leaned down to kiss him again.

Lucas sat with her on his lap, and his hands on her lap.

"I like this" he said.

"There is more of that if you win the championship" she let him know.

Lucas raised on of his brows and smiled, "I like the sound of that" he said, "can I get a preview?"

"It wouldn't hurt" She said flirting with him, then leaned down to kiss him again.

If there was something she liked, it was being with Lucas. The boy could make her forget all her problems, anything that was on her mind would just fly of.

* * *

Haley walked down the hall and to Brooke's room to check on Millie before she went to see Nathan, opening the door she saw that Millie was still sleeping. God know how she could, it was sunny as hell outside and the sun would shine right through the blinds and curtains.

She closed the door and walked to the room across the hall, she peeked her head and Nathan was laying on the floor wrapped in a bunch of blanket. She couldn't help but let out a small giggle, he just looked like a little baby sleeping.

She walked over to him and sat right next to him, and smiled at how peaceful he looked. "Wake up" she whispered in his ear.

He could feel the hot air in his neck, it made him wiggle just a little bit. He flutter is eyes open and saw her there. She was fully dress, the girl must have woken up hours ago. He smiled which made her smile, "hey" he said still sleepy, but definitively glad of being woken up that way.

"Good morning" she said sweetly.

"Where is everyone?" he asked a little lost.

She laughed at him, "Nathan, it's nine. There all downstairs eating" she said, "and if you want some you better get up" she said spanking him.

"Hey" he said grabbing her wrist, "is that anyway to wake someone up" he semi asked.

"Well" she said, then she bit her bottom lip.

"Let's go" he said. He knew she was teasing him, and if he wasn't going to get a good morning kiss, then he would take the breakfast.

He stood up and walked over to get his shirt and pants, he put them on and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Haley asked standing up.

"To get breakfast" he said holding the doorknob.

"Oh" she let out, she then walked over to him and held his hand.

Nathan pulled her out the room and walked her to the wall across the door, when she was pinned to the wall he looked into her eyes deeply. "You know" he said, "there is something way better then breakfast" he told her seductively.

"Oh yeah?" she asked in the same tone.

"Yeah"

"Like what?" she asked.

"Well…" he leaned down and captured her lips with his, deepening the kiss with every second he was near her.

They were completely lost when they heard a door open. Quickly puling away they looked to see who it was.

Haley waked over to Millie who was the person who had just opened a door, "what were you doing?"she asked a little mad.

"What?" Millie asked playing dumb.

Nathan stood right behind Haley as she questioned Millie.

"What were you doing in my room?" Haley asked.

"That's your room?" Millie said pointing to the door.

Haley nodded.

"I didn't know" Millie defended herself, "I was looking for the bathroom. Then I walked in there and wanted to see it, it's really pretty" Millie said nervously.

Haley believed her, but wasn't sure if she was telling the whole truth. "Let's go get breakfast" she said trying to cut the tension.

With that they all walked downstairs, and met with the rest. Well, just Brooke and Lucas. Who were still in a full on make out session, who knew they could hold their breaths for that long.

* * *

The rest of the day went well, both girls spent it with their friends. More like a tipple date all day, since Jake, Lucas, Nathan, and Peyton spent the day with them. They went to the beach and just sat there and enjoyed the day, not thinking about anything else. Just having fun and enjoying each other's company.

Sunday went just the same except Brooke and Haley were the only ones together, having a sister day. They went to the mall and Haley got a few things for the next day.

Monday would be Brooke's seventeenth birthday, she was almost an adult. There wasn't much a seventeen year old could do, but still. It was one more year.

The day went pretty fast. Any day goes fast when you have fun with your sister. By the end of the night they went home and decided that they would do one of Brooke's old traditions, the one they always did for her birthday.

When they were younger Haley figured that reminding her about their parents and the happy times they had together would be perfect, but it made it better that Brooke kept wanting to do it every year. Every year on the same date.

"You ready?" Haley asked walking in the room with her scrapbook.

Brooke nodded and patted the empty spot next to her on the bed.

Haley walked over to her sister and sat where Brooke had motioned for her to do so, she looked at her sister and put the scrapbook in font of them. Haley flipped the cover open and there was the first picture, a picture they took just a few months before the trip that killed them. It was a family picture Brooke had forced them to take, she said that all real families had family portraits.

Brooke smiled at the picture, she remembered the day so vividly. She remembered everything about it. The way her father said that he would only do it because she asked. Or how her mother said she would do it, but only if the rest of the family would. Then there was Haley, the one who refused to do it and you could see it in the picture. She threw a fit the whole way to there.

"You didn't talk to me for three days" Brooke said taking her eyes of the picture and looking at her sister.

"I remember" Haley said, "I'm sorry."

Brooke turned the page, and kept going until they say more pictures of them growing up. If there was one thing Lydia James did way to much, it was take pictures. There was pictures of their first baths, and their first meals. Basically, pictures for everything about them.

"That's the last one" Brooke said with a sad tone.

"Yeah" Haley agreed, you could see a single tear running down her cheek.

"I can't believe it" Brooke said looking at the picture. She now had tears coming out her own eyes, as she ran her fingers through the picture.

"I know" Haley agreed, "I miss them" she admitted. Something she had never said, those were Brooke's words. Words that she would say constantly.

The kept staring at the picture. They remembered that day so vividly. It was the last time they saw them, the day they took of to go on that trip. The trip that ended up killing them. They all stood together at the airport. Both girls holding on to their parents, while they checked in.

The next picture they saw was one of the two of them. They were still at the airport, but they were both crying. Yet they held each other close.

Brooke flipped the page and looked at Haley, "where is it?" Brooke asked.

"I don't know" Haley said, "it was here last week, I saw it" she told her.

"Haley" Brooke said trying to make it sound mad, but she couldn't.

"I'll look for them tomorrow" Haley tells her assuring her that she will she rubs her back.

Brooke leans her head on Haley's shoulder and keeps flipping through the pages. They take their time to talk about each one of them, they all held special memories.

When they were done, they noticed that there was a few pictures missing. Haley couldn't understand how that was possible, most of the pictures were very securely glued.

"I'll look for them tomorrow" she assured her sister, "I promise" she said softly.

Brooke took a deep breath and wiped her tears, then she laid down with her head resting on the pillow.

Haley did the same, tonight there was no way she was going to leave her sister alone. She knew how much Brooke needed her at the moment, and how Brooke would just cry all night if she wasn't there to comfort her.

"I miss them" Brooke said after a moment of silence, "I miss how they would come the day before at midnight with a cake" she told her sister.

"And they would always bring us a little something" Haley reminded her sister.

"yeah" Brooke said getting closer to her sister, then she snuggle close to her and tried to fall asleep.

"Happy birthday little sis" Haley said rubbing Brooke's back.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, and the next chapter will be up really soon. The storyline is established so it wont be long to write it. Thanks again and please review.. =D**


	31. Happy 17th Birthday Brooke

**Thanks to all the review guys, I don't remember if I PM anyone so if I didn't here are the answers and the thanks. **

***The article in this chapter was written by _JustLikeBrookeDavis_, so thanks a ton for the help girlie.**

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- What can I say, your ideas are awesome. Keep up the good work with your stories as well._**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- The distraction will happen, I'm still trying to put it together. But it will be there. _**

**_GottaluvNaley- YOU ARE THE 100TH COMMENTS. CONGRATS!!!! I don't really know if there will be a lot more of Dan, but he will be mentioned every now and then. And I love that you tried to guess who took the picture, if you really need to know just PM me and I'll tell you. We don't want to give spoilers to does who don't want them._**

**_Dianehermans- Yes it was, and I'm sorry. I know you're a big Brucas fan, and this is really complicating things. But they will be back, Brooke will need a lot of him to get over the bump of this chapter._**

**_Thanks to all for reading, and please ENJOY! =D_**

Chapter 31-

Monday morning came, and like every other one Haley was up and running at five in the morning. Nathan had picked her up, and she couldn't say no if he went to her house, she never told him that she wasn't going to go.

Sitting at their usual spots the did the same thing they did everyday, they talked. Just the two of them, sitting there staring at the waves. They just talked.

"So, it's Brooke's birthday" Nathan said.

"yeah" she said giving him a smile, "I hope she has a good one. I mean I'm not as creative as her, but maybe the whole dinner party at the house thing will be good" she admitted. It was true. Brooke was the one who could throw parties up and down, she was born with the party gene.

"She's gonna love it" he assured her and pulled her to a side hug.

Haley let him take her in his arms and rested her head on his shoulder, "I really wish they were here" she let out.

"Hey" he said turning to face her. Seen her so sad and tears in her eyes just broke him, "they would be so proud of you, they _are _so proud of you" he said and corrected himself. "You've taken care of Brooke as if she was your child, sure sometimes I feel you baby her too much. But, that's what I love about you. You care for her, and you would do anything for her" he reached over to her and wiped her tears with his thumb. "Are you ready to go?" he asked, then saw her nod. That was enough of a response for him, he stood up and held out his hand. Then they both walked back home holding each other.

The whole way home he tried to comfort her. Every once in a while she would smile and say a few words, but other then that it was mainly him talking. By the time they made it to her house he walked her to the door, he really wanted to make sure she would be okay. Brooke's birthday was on the line.

"I'll see you at school?" he asked her.

"yeah" she said giving him a smile. She then leaned closer to him and gave him a quick peck, "I love you" she said.

"I love you too" he said, then he turned around and began running home.

Haley walked back in the house and went straight to the bathroom, she didn't want her sister to see that se had been crying. It was Brooke's birthday and she was going to make it special for her sister. She walked in the bathroom and washed her face. After doing that she went to the kitchen and got what she left ready that morning before leaving, then she walked to her sister's room and sat on the bed right next to her body.

"Wake up birthday girl" she said sweetly and soft.

Brooke stir a little then opened her eyes, she rubbed them to see clearly and saw her sister. Yes, three she was. Haley holding a cupcake with one candle lit, ready for Brooke to blow it. Brooke was about ready to blow when she saw Haley cover the candle.

"You have to make a wish" Haley blocking the candle form Brooke.

Brooke giggled a little, she closed her eyes tight and kept them that way for a few seconds. "Go it" she said, she then saw Haley move her hand and she blew the candle.

"Happy birthday" Haley said kissing her forehead. She put the cupcake on the side table, then turned back to her sister. "Now get up" she said.

Haley got up and walked back to her room, she had to get ready for her tutoring lesson with Tim. It was her sister's birthday, but Tim still needed her help so she had to be there. She walked in her room and to her closet to choose her outfit for the day, when that was done she walked to the bathroom and showered and did all the lady things they do. Back in her room and dressed she walked out and in her sister's room. By now she was fully dressed and ready to go.

"I'll pick you up before school starts" Haley said kissing her forehead once more.

"You don't have to" Brooke said sitting up, "Lucas said he would take me" she told her.

"Okay then, I guess I'll see you there" she said, then she walked to the door. But before leaving she turned to her sister, "get up" she said warning her that she would be late.

Not giving her sister any excuse to stay there Brooke jumped off her bed and walked towards her bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

Lucas walked straight to Brooke's room, he didn't even bother to knock. All he wanted was to see his girl, and wish her a happy birthday.

"Happy birthday pretty girl" Lucas said really sweetly walking in the room.

Brooke turned around at the sound of his voice, the smile plaster on her face was as big as the sun. She walked over to him and gave him a hug, when she pulled away she looked into his eyes. "Thank you boyfriend" she said. Then she turned around and walked to her vanity to finish getting ready for school.

Lucas walked over to her bed and sat at the end of it, his body resting on his palms. "So, you exited for today?" Lucas asked.

"You bet your ass I am" Brooke said turning to face him.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah" she said, "let me just get my bag, and we'll go" she said walking towards her closet.

"Does Jake have a ride?" Lucas asked in a loud tone, he needed her to hear him.

"I think he's taking his car, he got it back yesterday" she yelled back. "What do you think about this one" she said holding the purse over her shoulder.

"Cute" he said, he then stood up "now let's go" he said walking towards the door.

"Okay, okay" Brooke said following him out.

* * *

"No, the answer is 4.58" Haley said frustrated. They had been working on the same problem for about twenty minutes, yet Tim didn't get it. It wasn't all the hard. She looked at him and said the problem out loud as she wrote it on a small board in front of them, "3X+29=37X-127" she said.

"Is that the answer" Tim asked stupidly.

"No" She said a little mad, her patients was running out "That's the problem." She then began to explain to him how to do it, yet again. "So, we have to get all the Xs on the same side. Which one should we move?" she asked.

"The 37" he asked skeptically.

"No" she said, "I mean, you could. But it would be a lot easier to subtract three then 37 right?" she waited for him to understand, when he nodded she continued. "So we minus 3 from 37, what is that give us?"

"34" Tim said second guessing himself.

"Yes" She said smiling, he was finally getting it, "so now we have, 29=34X-127. What do we do next?"

Tim thought about it for a second, then he looked at her. "We move the 127" he said. More like asked.

"Yes" she said slowly, "how?"

"We add it" he said hesitant.

"Why?"

"Because it's a negative, so we need to add it to get rid of it."

"Correct" Haley said cracking a huge smile. "So what do we have now?"

"Umm… we add it to the 29, so we have 156=34X" he said.

"Yes" Haley said exited, "so what's next?"

"We need to get rid of the 34, so we divide?" he asked.

"Yes"

"So we have 156/34=X. so that is" he took out his calculator and divided 156/34. "So the answer is…4.58" he said.

"Yes" Haley yelled exited.

"I did it" Tim said exited.

"Okay, now I have to go" Haley said starting to gather all her things.

"We only did like two math problems" he said.

"That's because you're slow. But, I promise we'll do them all tomorrow. Now I really have to go" she said getting up. "I'll see you tomorrow" she told him walking out the door.

Tim sat there with a huge smile. Sure, he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box. But today he did a math problem all on his own. Well, with some help form Haley. But still, he did it.

Broken from his thoughts he heard someone walk back in. "I thought you had to go" he said looking at the door, "Oh, Nate. What's up man?" he asked.

"Where is Haley?" he asked surprised that she wasn't there. They usually met there when she didn't have to get Brooke.

"She left" Tim said, "so what's up?" he asked again.

"Nothing" Nathan shrugged, "I was just looking for Haley" he told him then turned to walk away.

Tim walked up to him, "I'll walk with you" Tim said. And so they did just that.

Once they were in the hall Tim asked him something, something that to most people would seem stupid. "Does Haley have a sister?" he asked.

"What kid of stupid question is that?" Nathan asked back.

"Other then Brooke" Tim elaborated.

"Why?" Nathan asked skeptical.

"Well you know I work at that Hotel down town, right?" Nathan nodded . "Well there was this girl, and she looked at lot like Brooke, but she also looked like Haley in somethings" He began telling him. "Anyways, I asked her her name and she said it was James. Well, her last name anyways."

"Where was she?" Nathan asked.

"I told you, the hotel" Tim said.

"Did she tell you her name?"

"yeah" Tim said, "Lisa, and she was hot man" Tim said stupidly.

Nathan just walked away, he didn't care that Tim was left talking to himself. Right now he needed to get to her, get to her and tell her all about this. He walked through the halls that had quite a few students walking around by now, which wasn't making it any easier.

He turned on one of the halls and saw her, there she was walking towards her locker. "Haley!" he yelled.

Haley turned to the sound of her name and saw him running to her, "hey you" she said when he reached her.

Nathan said nothing, he just grabbed her arm and pulled her to the nearest empty room.

"What are you doing?" she asked scared.

Once they were in the room he looked at her, he could see the fear so he started of by apologizing. "I'm sorry" he said. "I didn't mean to hurt you" he told her.

"What is it?" she asked, "you're scaring me."

"She's here" Nathan said.

Haley looked at him weird, who was here. who was _she. _What was he talking about.

"Lisa" he said reading her face.

"Lisa" she repeated, "as in airplane Lisa" she asked scared that he would say yes.

"Yes" he simply said.

Haley began pacing back and forth in front of him, she didn't know what to do. She could handle it, but Brooke. Brooke would not be able to, not now that things were going so great for them.

"Why?" Haley said still pacing, "why would she come? What is she doing her? Does she even know anyone here?" she kept asking questions.

"Haley" Nathan said, but she didn't hear him. He was saying it to soft.

She kept asking question, "has Brooke seen her? What if she know?"

"Haley!" he yelled causing her to jump.

She turned to face him, "What?" she asked a little startled.

"You need to calm down" he said walking over to her and holding on to her shoulders.

"How do you know?" she asked, seen his confused face she elaborated further, "about Lisa" she said.

"Tim told me"

"Tim" she said wondering why he wouldn't have told her.

"Yeah, I went to get you and you weren't there. Then he started talking about a girl he met and I put two and two together" he said, "I think he know" he told her softly.

"Oh god" Haley said burring her face in his chest.

Nathan just stood there holding her for a few seconds, just being there so that she didn't feel lonely.

Haley and Nathan walked out of the room and into the hall, which was pretty full at the moment.

They walked pass the people and could feel the staring, but had no clue why they were. They had been passed the whole new student phase, and they got passed the whole Nathan dating her phase. But they kept staring for some kind of reason.

"Here you go" Shelly. A blond girl who went to school said handing them the school paper.

Haley took and thanked her, "thanks" she said. She then turned the paper to see the front cover and began looking through it. There it was. Right in front of her was the reason why they stared, the reason people whispered as she walked by.

The picture on the cover shocked her, there was no way in hell they could have gotten that picture. Yet, there it was. A picture of her and her sister hugging, a picture taken years ago when they were younger. She remember the day they got that pictured taken, they were about seven and eight. Their mom had taken it, just outside their house while they played with their dolls.

Her eyes started to water as she read the read the headline, she then flipped the page to the article. She just wanted to make sure it wasn't nothing that would tare her sister down now.

**Sorry Sweetie's: The truth is out. Your rich**

**_Here is a story of two city girls who moved to a small town. When they got there they automatically fit in like they have been living here their whole lives. They seem to fit in so perfectly but the truth is they have secrets which aren't going to be secrets that much longer. I know all of you know these two girls or heard about them so I think you have already figured out who I'm talking about but if not that's alright because I'm going to tell you right now. It's the James girls Haley and Brooke_**

**_wwww_**

**_So we all know Haley James is a cheerleader and dating Nathan Scott one of the co-captains of the basket ball team. Haley is smart, friendly, helpful and all around an amazing person. Family is Haley's life and she will do anything to protect them. This means where ever Brooke is right now and if Haley's reading this she is going to go find Brooke and try to prevent her from seeing this. That's the type of person Haley is, she HATES seeing Brooke hurt. I think Haley is one of the strongest people I have ever met._**

**_wwww_**

**_We all know the happy go lucky Brooke. The one who is always smiling and cheerful and is never sad. We know she is the head cheerleader and loves it; her routines are amazing and outstanding. Brooke wants everyone to believe that she is a happy person but truth be told she isn't as happy as she always appear. Inside she is breaking and has been since the age of 9. There are a couple of words you can say to her and she will totally shut down and shut the whole world out. I think that's enough explaining the REAL Brooke._**

**_wwww_**

**_Here is a look in_****_side Haley and Brooke's past and their secrets. Haley and Brooke lived in the same place their whole lives until this year when they moved here to Tree Hill. They went to a boarding school there as well but they did not live in the rooms for a while. They moved into the school when Haley was 10 and in the 5_****_th_****_ grade and Brooke was 9 and in the 4_****_Th_****_ grade, the reason they moved into the school is because their parents died and didn't want to move from where they have always lived. That's right you heard me there parents died when they were 9&10 so that explains why they live with their cousin Jake. When Haley was heading into highschool she helped Brooke skip the 8_****_th_****_ grade because they wouldn't of been able to be in the same room, and Brooke wasn't having that she was too scared to not have Haley by her side. To this day Brooke is always by Haley it seems. To me it seems like Brooke expects that's Haley's going to die to or something. I mention that they are rich and have huge trust funds that they don't get for a while, although they get a lot of money out of it each month. here is just one more detail before I end this…They have two Half siblings from their Fathers side that they had no clue they had until this year. Their own parents didn't even tell them sucks to be them doesn't it? Well that's all._**

**_wwww_**

**_Happy 17_****_th_****_ Birthday Brooke James_**

After reading the article Haley dropped the paper and began to run, the only thing she thought about was her sister. As much as it hurt her, she knew it would destroy her sister. Brooke was a fragile person, and anything would brake her.

* * *

"Come on" Brooke said getting out of Lucas' car.

Lucas got out and walked over to her, he draped his arm over her shoulder and looked at her "what's the hurry?" he asked.

"I want to see if Haley decorated my locker" she said walking at an extreme pace.

"What if she didn't?" he asked. He knew she didn't. Haley had called him in the morning to ask him to do it, she said that it would be something Brooke would love and appreciate.

"She always does" Brooke said as a matter of fact, "it's what sister's do" Brooke said.

They walked through the doors, and Brooke could hear people whispering and staring. She thought that maybe Haley planned a surprise party, and had invited most of the school.

"Happy birthday" an annoying voice said handing her the school paper, "I hope you enjoy it" she smirked and walked away.

"What's with her" Lucas said. Then he turned to face his girlfriend. There she was her face shocked and her eyes starting to water. He didn't understand why she had the expression, he just felt horrible to see her like that.

She looked like she was going to brake into pieces, her bottom lip shook as she tried to hold her tears. The picture she saw brought her eyes to tears, she could believe that someone would do something like that.

Brooke opened the paper and saw the article, the headline just broke her. The **Sorry Sweetie's: The truth is out. Your rich**, Broke. Who could be so evil as to do that to someone, to want them to hurt just for pure pleasure. She looked around the page and saw a few pictures, there was one of her, Lucas, Nathan, and Haley after a game. Then, there it was. The one picture she loved, the one that was missing the previous night.

The one where she was with her sister and her parents, it was the four of them sitting at the edge of the coast. The water barely touched their feet. Lydia stood there next to Jimmy, while both girls were wrapped around their parents. Haley was being held by Lydia on her side, and Brooke was on her dad's shoulders. They were still little back then, but the picture showed how happy they were.

Her eyes watered more and more as she started to read the article. **_That's the type of person Haley is, she HATES seeing Brooke hurt._** The talked about her sister as if they knew her, like they knew all that she had been through to protect herself and her sister.

She kept reading. There it was, her discretion. What evil thing would they say about her, **_Brooke wants everyone to believe that she is a happy person but truth be told she isn't as happy as she always appear._** Who wrote this, and why did they hate her so much.

She was starting the last paragraph when she felt someone take it from her, it was pulled away from her hands with such strength. Brooke looked at the person in front of her and broke down, this was too much for her. She couldn't take it. She took a step forward and let her sister hug her.

Haley hugged her and held her tightly, she knew how Brooke got with all of this. And whoever it was that did this knew it too, and they wanted to hurt her. Something that they did successful.

Haley signaled for Lucas to take Brooke's bag so that she could walk her to the car, the last thing she was going to do was let her sister be tortured by the rest of the students.

On their way out Brooke's head was buried on her sister as they walked, she didn't want to see anybody. She had enough just by hearing them, she didn't need to see them.

From the corner of her eye Haley saw Rachel smiling, which meant she obviously had something to do with it. And if in fact she did, Haley would find a way to get her back. No one hurts her sister and gets away with it.

* * *

**Thanks for reading guys, please review. And once more a special thanks to _JustLikeBrookeDavis_ for her help with the article. You should check out her stories, they are awesome. Thanks again. =D**


	32. Who's Looking Out For You?

**Thanks to all the review on the previous chapter, they are all so awesome. **

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- Thanks for the no spoiler thing, hahah. Thanks for reading my stories when I have no clue when I'm doing._**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- Erika is a total bitch, she loves to hurt people to make herself feel better. Hahahaha. I do think there will be a little something there for Erika, as well as Rachel, just stick around. _**

**_GottaluvNaley- you got it, I will try to reveal who took the picture soon though. As for the Rachel thing, like I told Haley Elizabeth James she has something coming her way. _**

**_Dianehermans- thanks for your review. I really hope you like this one. And there will be some really special things happening to Brucas soon._**

**_OTHfan1- Promise to add some jealous Nathan for you along the way, maybe after Brooke gets over all her issues. Hopefully it will be within the next two chapters. Thanks for your review. _**

**_KTxx- I know that Nathan hasn't been all that over protective, but he will. Brandon will be coming back as will her siblings, and that's when Nathan will turn on his protective switch. Thanks for your review, I'm glad you're enjoying the story. _**

**_Thanks to all, please enjoy this chapter. =D_**

Chapter 32-

Brooke cried the whole way home, with no time to breath. She just let it all out, she couldn't believe that there were people that wanted to hurt her so bad out there.

Haley sat there driving her sister home, she felt so bad for her. Brooke was crying, and all she could do was watch. She couldn't let go of the wheel, she had no option but to watch her sister fall apart right next to her. She was also feeling hate, hate for whoever it was that did that. Whoever it was that wanted to hurt them, to make people hate them.

There were so many things Haley was feeling right now, so many feelings she couldn't let out. She couldn't breakdown in front of her sister, she needed to be there for her. She was the strong one, she had to made sure her sister was okay and that she could feel safe.

As the article said, family is everything to Haley. And right now her family consist of one more person, just her and her sister. And she couldn't show pain, or breakdown. For Brooke's sake. she had to be the strong one.

* * *

"Where are they?" Jake asked walking towards the rest of them. He had just read the paper and all he wanted was to check on his cousins.

Nathan turned to him and could see the worried look on his face, "they left, Haley took her home" he said. He wanted to tell him more, but Jake didn't give him time.

Before they knew it, Jake was out the door.

* * *

Haley always did what she thought was best for her sister, and what was best at the moment was for her to rest. Let it all go in her sleep, and try to relax a little. She also knew that Brooke would block out the rest of the world, she would be living in her own little bubble for a while.

Once they had arrived home Haley let Brooke just that. Run to her room and isolate herself from the rest of the world. Haley knew that it would be a while for her sister to be back on track, but she would be there every step of the way to help her through it.

"How is she" she heard someone ask as he walked towards her. Haley turned towards the figure walking towards her and shrugged. She really didn't know what to say, there was no answer to that question.

"Haley" Jake said taking the spot next to her on the couch, he leaned to her and brought her to a tight embrace, "I'm really sorry" he whispered. He was sorry. Sorry that people were so mean to them. Sorry that he wasn't there when it all happened. Sorry that he couldn't do anything about it. It was to late now, and it was all out in the open.

Haley let it all out, she couldn't hold it much longer. Sure, she had to be strong in front of her sister. But right now, she also needed someone to be strong for her. Not wanted to hold it in anymore she let it go, sob after sob she let it go.

"It's all gonna be okay" Jake tried to sooth her, but wasn't really succeeding.

There where no need for words. They sat there, together holding each other. One was helping the other, as she let out her pain.

* * *

Hours passed and there was still no response from Brooke. As far as the rest of the people in the house knew she was still sleeping.

Jake and Haley still sat on the couch, just the two of them. Every so often Haley would go check on Brooke to make sure she was fine, but Brooke would tell her she wanted to be alone. So her visits were short. She was all for helping her sister, in every way possible. But, the best way to help her now, was to let her be.

"I'll be back" Haley said standing up, "I have to check on her" with that she left up the stairs and down the hall. Reaching her destination she knocked on the door, and wiggled the handle to open it. Except this time it was locked, she got worried and knocked again "Brooke" she said worried.

Brooke laid on her bed staring at the ceiling. So many things running through her head, so many thoughts and memories. She really didn't want to think about it, but there was nothing to do about. The whole article explain to everyone about her life. Her life that was all so private to her, the life she always kept to herself just to protect herself.

"Brooke, sweetie I need you to open the door" she could her Haley saying as she knocked. Brooke could tell her voice was cracking, and she could hear the concern in her voice.

Brooke knew that she couldn't keep Haley out of it, the article was just as much about Haley as it was about her. If there was one person she could talk about it, it was Haley. She could talk to her without being judged, or holding anything back.

She got up and dragged her feet to the door, unlocking it she walked back to her bed. She knew Haley was smart enough to open it when she heard the clicking of the lock. Brooke dragged her feet back to her bed and sat on the edge of it.

When Haley opened the door and walked in she saw her, her sister sitting on the edge of the bed still crying. Her eyes were so puffy from so much crying, they were also red, as was her nose. It broke her heart to see her sister in so much pain, to see her falling apart right in front of her.

Haley walked over to the bed and sat next to her, pulling her to a hug she let her cry. She just wanted to rewind time and make it all disappear. "Come her" she said holding her tighter.

"Haley" Brooke said through her sobs, "I can't do this" she said.

Haley wanted so bad to make it all go away, "I'll go get you a tea" Haley tells her trying to pull away.

Brooke lets her go, "thanks" she mumbles as she lays back down on the bed.

"I'll be right back, I love you" Haley says walking towards the door, then out the door to the hall.

After her sister walked out the door Brooke let out a big sight. She was so tired, tired of crying and letting things get to her. Tired of not being strong enough. Tired of always having to rely on her sister when times got hard. But it was the only way she knew how to get over things, the only way to survive.

Every two to three minutes she would hear the buzzer of her phone, telling her that she had received a text message. If she would have been counting, it would be well over fifty by now. Brooke really didn't want to check them, she was pretty sure she knew exactly who they were from. Lucas. He was the one person she really wanted to tell, tell all about what she was feeling. But somehow she couldn't, it was way to hard to open up to him, or anyone else for that matter.

She reached over to her bag and pulled her phone, she check her inbox and read the last three messages. There was way over three, but she really didn't feel like reading them all.

_'Brooke call me. I really need to talk to you.' –Lucas-_

_'Hey pretty girl, please call me' –Lucas-_

_'Brooke, this is like the fiftieth message I send you. Please call, if I don't hears from you I'll go to your house. I need to see you. I love you' –Lucas-_

Deleting all her messages she checked her voice mail, she really need to hear his voice. Something told her that he had left a voice message, she called her voice mail and put in her code and waited for it to come up.

_'You have seven new voice mails. to listen to your voice mails press one. To change your greeting press 2. For any other options press zero' _The machine said, Brooke quickly pressed one and placed her phone back to her ear.

_'New message, sent today. At eight fifty A.M.' "Brooke it's me, please call me. I really need to see how you are, you just ran out with Haley, and I really want to talk to you. I love you" Lucas' voice said. 'To save press one, to delete press seven, for more options press zero' the machine said. _

Brooke continued to the rest of her voice mails, which pretty much said the same thing. But it didn't matter, all that matter was that he cared. That he said he loved her, and that there was nothing he wanted more then to make sure she was okay.

* * *

Jake was still sitting on the couch, not really doing anything. Mostly just thinking about the whole situation. He had been there when her parents died, well for the funeral at least. No one was really there when they died, it was a plane accident. He really wanted to figure out a way to help Brooke get over this, over the whole parents thing. But she had always been the weak one when it came to them. He had seen it every time the girls would visit when they were younger.

_Flashback-_

_It was Christmas time and like every year since their parents' death both girls flew to Tree Hill, it was really the only family they knew about. They were never close to Jimmy's side of the family, they only knew so many people from that side of the family._

_Tree Hill was the place they spent Christmas every year, as did the rest of the family. They would all gather at Becky's house to celebrate the magic of Christmas. _

_The kids were all playing outside, it was cold and quite windy. Haley and Brooke played on the swings while they had Jake push them._

_"Faster Jake" Brooke order home._

_"Brooke, my arms are tired" Jake complained, "besides I think I should have a turn" he pointed out. He loved his cousins, but sometimes he hated that they were girls. It felt to him like he had to do what they wanted, just because they were girls. _

_"Come on kids" Becky said pocking her head through the door to see them, "It's time for lunch" she informed them._

_Brooke and Haley got of the swings and walked towards the house with their cousin, no matter how much they fought they were really close. _

_"What are we having aunt Becky?" Haley asked settling herself on the stool._

_Becky placed the plates in front of them, "chicken dumpling soup" she said then turned to get Jake's plate. When she turned to place the plate down she noticed that Brooke was no longer sitting next to Jake._

_"Where is Brooke" she asked._

_"I'll get her" Haley said jumping off the stool and outside to the swing. Walking closer she could hear her sister crying, it was something she had come so familiar with. She walked over to the other swing and sat right next to her. "Brookie, you need to come inside" Haley told her, "running out like that really hurt aunt Becky's feelings" she informed Brooke calmly._

_"She made it, Haley" Brooke let out in a small sob, "she made mom's soup, I can't eat it."_

_"Course you can" Haley assured her, "mom would want you to, she knew how much you loved that soup" Haley tried to reason with her eleven year old sister."_

_Jake and Becky watched them from the back door as they sat on the swings talking, they really couldn't hear them. But they knew that it was probably too much for Haley to handle alone. Without thinking it over Becky walked over to her niece, the closer she got the more she could hear Brooke's small sobs. She walked around so that she could face both girls. _

_Becky slowly crunched down to level with the girls and held on to each of their legs, she took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm really sorry Brooke" she apologized to her much younger nice, "I know that your mom use to make that all the time, and I know it means a lot to you. Lydia would make it for me when I was younger, she said that it would always make everything better. I only wanted you to have something you like, I know it's your favorite" she said smiling at her niece. She looked over at Haley and signaled her with a small nod. _

_Somehow Haley understood what it was she wanted, and walked over to Jake. She wanted to give Brooke and Becky some time. _

_"Brooke" Becky said settling herself on the swing that was being occupied by Haley previously, "your mom and dad might not be here, but that doesn't mean they don't still watch over you."_

_"I really miss them aunt Becky" Brooke let out._

_"I know honey" Becky said leaning over to her and pulling her closer to a tight hug._

_"I wish they never went on that trip" Brooke let out through her sobs. She just cried to her aunt shirt, letting it all go._

_"Let's go inside, I'm sure your mom would want you to enjoy your favorite food" Becky said pulling Brooke up with her. _

_Flashback over._

He remembered that day so clear, he remembered everything about it. The way her mom tried to calm Brooke down. The way Haley was so concerned about her sister that she never left her side. He also remembered that they all had a sleepover, of course Brooke sleeping in the middle of Haley and Jake. He would never forget all the great memories he had with his cousins, and the way they always found a way to help each other.

* * *

Haley was done making her sister's tea, she put the spoon in the sink and began to walk to the stairs. Reaching the stairs she heard someone knocking, she slowly placed the tea on a table next to the stairs and walked to the door. "I'm coming" she said when the person kept knocking. She opened the door only to find a boy, the boy who could make her feel so much better in a matter of seconds. "Hey" she said sheepishly.

"How are you?" he said walking in and pulling her to a tight hug. He really didn't care that she didn't invite him in, at that moment all he wanted to do was help her.

Haley let him pull her to him, it wasn't very often that there was someone to make sure she was okay. Sure Brooke always helped her through her own hard times, but she also needed someone to help her when she had to be the strong one. She needed someone to help her help her sister, to be there for her when she wanted to let everything out.

"It's okay" he said smoothly trying to calm her. He walked her over to the couch and sat setting her on his lap, "it's all going to be fine" he said, and kept repeating as she shushed her to calm down. She was sitting sideways on his lap with her head resting on his should, he held her tight and slowly brushed her hair as he tried to calm her down.

"I have to go check on her" Haley said lifting her head and wiping her tears, "she needs her tea" she told him.

"I'll take it" Jake said standing up, "you stay" he order, "I want to talk to her" he said walking over to the table and grabbing the tea. He picked it up and walked up the stairs to talk to his little cousin.

Once he was out of sight Haley looked back at the boy who's lap she was on, "I'm sorry" she said wiping her tears once again.

"For what?" Nathan asked confused.

"For being weak" she admitted and tears come out her eyes again, she really didn't want them to but she couldn't control them.

"Hey" Nathan said wiping her tear, "you are the strongest person I know" he assured her. "Yeah, you might be falling apart now, but that's because sometimes you need someone to be your rock."

Haley just smiled at him, she knew his words were true. But she had to be strong for her sister, "she needs me" she admitted.

"What about you?" he asked concerned, "you baby her so much, you're always worried that she might get hurt. Who's looking out for you?" he questioned softly, but you could tell he was a little mad in his tone.

Haley smiled, she knew her answer was true "you" she simply said.

Nathan felt his heart skip a beat, her word meant so much to him. To actually hear that she thought of him as her protector, as the one person she could count on made him love her even more. "I'll always be here for you, Haley James" he said kissing her deep.

Haley pulled away from the kiss and smiled at him, "I love you" she said and kissed him back.

Nathan felt the kiss get deeper by the seconds, every second making the kiss become more passionate. He felt her moving a little as she tried to straddle him, when she succeeded she pushed him back on the couch and deepened the kiss more. Batting with their tongues as the show how much there really loved each other through a kiss.

Haley felt his hands run up and down her thigh, something that definitively made her want him more. She played with his hair as the kiss kept getting deeper, and deeper. She wanted so bad to take it further, but it wasn't the time or the place. The time was wrong for her sister was suffering upstairs, while she was letting herself go for the first time in her life. The place was wrong, well only because it was the living room. And if anyone walked in, they would be able to see them. _"Screw it"_ Haley thought, she began to unbutton his shirt slowly. Her lips never leaving his, it was amazing that air hadn't become an issue yet.

"Haley" Nathan said breathless.

She really didn't want to stop, so she continued to trail kisses down his neck.

"Haley, you need to stop" Nathan said trying to pull her away. He wanted so bad to take it further, but he couldn't do it that to her. He knew the only reason she was doing it, it was because she was hurting.

Haley pulled away and looked at him in disbelief, "I thought you wanted this" she said with a hint of embarrassment and sadness in her eyes.

"I do" he admitted, "I really do, but you don't" he told her.

"I do" she said still straddling him.

"Haley, the only reason you're doing this is because you're hurting" he told her placing her loose hairs behind her ear. "I can't do that to you" he said.

"Why?" she asked hurt.

Nathan looked into her eyes, the eyes that could make him do anything in the world. He looked into them scared that they would make him change his mind, "because I love you" he said softly. "And I want your first time to be special."

Haley dropped her head on his shoulder, "I'm such a slut" she said.

Nathan chuckled a little, he really didn't want to. But her words got to him, she was the last thing from a slut. "You're not" he said sternly.

"I'm sorry" she apologized sheepishly, "I 'm just confused right now, I don't know what to do. I don't know how to handle it."

"How about you talk to me" he suggested, "tell me what you're feeling. I want to help you, Haley. But you need to let me help you" he said resting his hands on her hips.

"I will" she assured, "when I'm ready, I promise I'll let you in."

"Come here" he said pulling her to another hug. It wasn't as comfortable as the kissing with the position she was in, but it just being in each other's arms helped her let go.

* * *

"Here is your tea" Jake said walking in her room.

"Where is Haley?" she asked concerned, "is she okay?"

"Yes" Jake said walking over to her, "she's downstairs with Nathan."

"Oh, Brooke said a little hurt. She expected her sister to be there for her all the time, no matter what the situation called for.

Jake saw the disappointment in her eyes, as if the only person that she wanted to see was Haley. "She's hurting too, you know" Jake told her sitting next to her on the bed. He saw Brooke give him a questionable look, which made him elaborate more. "She acts all tough around you, and protects you. But, this hurts her just as much as it hurts you. She needs someone to be there for her, like she's for you" he explained. Then he heard her phone vibrate. "Who's that?" he asked curious.

"Lucas" she simply said.

"Aren't you gonna answer?" he asked when she just tossed the phone in front of her. He saw her shake her head, he understood she was hurting but she needed to let people help her. Closing of to the world wasn't going t help, it would only eat her up inside. "Answer it" he order, "if he's calling it's because he cares. So talk to him" he told her then walked out the room.

Brooke sat there in disbelief, she couldn't believe that just happened. No one ever treated her like that. She though about his words and decided to answer. It was true, Lucas really did care about her. No one takes time out to call and text so many times if they don't care. She reached over to her phone, and pressed the green talk button.

_"Brooke" Lucas said through the phone._

"Hey" she said trying to sound a little happier then she actually was.

_"How are you pretty girl?"_

"Better" Brooke said, although she really wasn't.

_"Can I come over?"_

"Not right now" she said, "I'm kinda tired" she lied. "I'll see you tomorrow, if I feel better" she said then hung up the phone.

Lucas was left there in shock, the girl he loves just hung up on him with no explanation or good bye. He knew that she wasn't okay, she obviously wasn't, he really wanted to be there for her. But you can't be there for someone if they don't allow you. He let out a frustrated sigh and began to walk, to no particular destination.

Brooke set the phone on her side table and laid back down on her bed. She wanted him to be there with her, she wanted it so bad. But she couldn't drag him down with her, she was falling fast and she didn't want him to be dragged along for the sad and awful ride. Love hurt sometimes, and it made you do things you didn't want to. She didn't want to be alone, but her love for him was so big, that she was willing to hurt alone.

Letting tears fall down her cheeks she laid there, cuddle to her side cover with a big thigh blanket. All she wanted at the moment was sleep, sleep and wake up. Wake up and think this was all one big awful nightmare.

* * *

**Thanks to all of you for reading, also thanks for the wonderful reviews to those who leave them. I know this chapter had no Brucas interaction, but that's because Brooke is closing off. However Brucas will be back next chapter. Thanks for reading, again. =D Reviews are much appreciated. **

**Also to those who love to read, you should totally read JustLikeBrookeDavis' Stories they are awesome. So is Haley Elizabeth James' story 'YOU FOUND ME'. Also, if you have good stories to read tell me. I love to read. Thanks again. **


	33. A Single Tear

**Thanks to all the reviews on the last chapter, they were awesome. I hope you guys like this one. I tried to add some Brucas, but Brooke's still not opening up to him all the way but I can assure you that she will. **

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- Thanks for your review, and thanks for telling me what you thing about everything. Oh and for giving me some ideas. You ROCK. _**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- Thanks, and you know that I'll always have Naley action. =D_**

**_GottaluvNaley- I told you everything on the PM, I am so glad you said all those things, it was an awesome review. I love it when people speak their mind. _**

**_Dianehermans- Thanks girly, here is a little bit of Brucas for you. I am also thinking of writing another story, and it will have lots of Brucas, but right now I want to finish one of the ones I have going._**

**_KTxx- There was no Rachel in this chapter, but she will be on the next one. I have a few things planned for her. _**

**Thank you all, and please enjoy this one. **

Chapter 33-

Nathan ran to Jake's house, like every other morning. Except this time he wasn't going to get Haley to run with him, he was going to talk to her. He kept running letting the wind hit his face as he ran against it. Making his way through the houses he finally reached his destination. Walking over to her porch, or more like their porch, more like their porch. Knowing that Becky and Javier were no longer home, because they had left on Javier's latest trip the previous night he just walked in.

Walking up the stairs he went straight to her room, not caring what Jake would think. He sat on the bed right next to were her body laid. Slowly lowering his body so that his face would reach her neck, "get up" he said a little husky. He wanted to sound cute, but at the same time he wanted to sound harsh. Just to push her.

Haley jumped when she felt someone over her, and someone breathing down her neck. Turning her head to face up she saw his face. There he was looking at her with a straight face. It felt like it had been so long since she'd seen his face. "Nathan, what are you doing here" she said softly and startled.

"Get up" he order getting of the bed.

"What do you mean?" she asked confused sitting up.

Nathan walked to her closet and came out with jeans and a shirt for her to wear, "I mean you're going to school" he said.

"Nathan, I can't –"

"Stop it" he said in a demanding tone, he saw her face drop. He could tell that she was confused, but still saw some fear in her eyes. "I mean, you need to go to school" he said walking over and sitting next to her. "Haley, it's been four days. You can't keep protecting her, she needs to learn that you won't always be there for her."

"As long as I'm here, I'll be here for her" she told him.

Nathan understood that she wasn't going to drop it, "get up" he order one more time before walking out the door.

Haley was left sitting on the bed confused. She had never seen that side of him, in a way he was only trying to help her. But she wanted to be there for her sister she loved her, and would always be there for her.

Walking out of her room Nathan walked across the hall, he had only been in the room once. But that didn't stop him from doing it this time, he walked in and saw the other James girl laying in bed. She was cover all the way to her neck with her brown and blue bed spread, her body laying sideways.

"Get up" Nathan yelled walking over to her, he gently kicked the side of the bed so that Brooke would get up.

"What are you doing here" she asked startled.

"I'm here to make sure you get ready for school" he simply said, "now get up" he order.

He was walking towards the door when he heard her shot back, "you can't tell me what to do" she said and laid back covering herself up to her face.

Nathan turned on his heals and walked back to her, he looked at her in disbelief. He didn't understand how she didn't see it, "no I can't" he admitted, "but you should know what you need to do" he told her.

"What are you talking about?" she asked confused, he was making no sense to her at the moment.

Nathan looked at her and began to explain himself, "it's been four days, Brooke. Four days" he stated, "I know you're hurt, I get it. But you let your pain get the best of you, and you don't think about the rest." He could see her face changing, it was changing form confused to understanding. "You think Haley's not hurting, you think she wants to be here around you moping all the time and telling her how much it hurts. She's hurt too, and as hurt as she is she puts away. She put's it away to not hurt you." He told her. "So now, you're gonna get up, take a shower, and get dress. Haley needs you just as much as you need her, so suck it up for at least a day" he said harshly and walked out the room.

"What were you doing?" Haley asked when she saw him walking out of her sister's room.

Nathan looked down at her, he held her face between his hands. "I'll pick you up at seven thirty" he said, then gave her a quick peck and walked out.

Haley was left there standing confused, she didn't understand where that had come from. He was being so pushy, and so protective. But she kind of liked it. Breaking out of her thoughts she continued to make her way to her sister's room, "Brooke?" she asked walking in and not seen her, "Brooke?" she asked again. But the second time she was answered by the water running in the bathroom, she walked to the bathroom and didn't see her. "Brooke" she said again.

"What is it, Hales" Brooke said from the opposite side of the shower.

"Why are you taking a shower?" Haley asked suddenly concern for her sister, no one bounces from what she was going through so fast.

"School" Brooke simply said.

"Why?"

"You" Brooke said, "now you need to go get ready" she order. She tired to sound as strong as possible, but if you were able to see her in the shower, you would see her tears running down her face.

Haley looked around confused, she was sure she was having a dream. Sure, Brooke loved going to school, but it was only for boys and cheer. But now, now she was going to please her. She couldn't help but crack a little smile, her sister was finally maturing. She slowly turned around and walked out of Brooke's bathroom.

Brooke moved the curtain to make sure Haley was gone, when she couldn't see her she let out a sob. The sob she had been holding on to since her sister walked in the bathroom.

* * *

"Hey there" Lucas said sneaking up behind her.

Brooke wiped a single tear from her cheek and turned to face him with a smile, "hey" she said.

"What's wrong?" he said worried and concerned.

Brooke closed her locker and placed both hands on his chest as she leaned forward to kiss him, "nothing now" she said trying to sound seductive.

"You ready to eat?" Lucas asked, when she nodded he turned to his side and put his arm out for her to link hers through it.

Brooke linked her arm and rested her head on his shoulder as he led the way to the cafeteria.

"You are being so strong, Brooke. I admire you" Lucas said placing a soft kiss on her head.

Brooke looked down to the ground and let a single tear fall down her cheek. She didn't understand why he would say that, she was breaking inside but she had to act strong. Strong for her sister, who has been there for her through everything and never shown her she needed her.

* * *

"How's she doing?" Peyton asked.

"Better" Haley said, "I guess. I mean, I know she's still hurting. But I feel like she's hiding it from me, like she doesn't want me to see her hurt" she admitted.

Peyton felt bad for Haley, sure she wasn't all that close to her. But she still liked to call Haley her friend. "You mind if I talk to her?" Peyton asked a little nervous of the outcome of it all.

Haley looked at her friend, and nodded. All she wanted now was for someone to get her sister to go back to normal.

"I think that would help" Nathan said pulling Haley to his side. Haley looked at him and smiled at his gesture.

"Hello" Lucas said sitting next to his brother and making space for his girlfriend to sit next to him.

"How are you feeling?" Peyton asked Brooke, but only received a nod. "Do you mind if we talk?" Peyton asked sweetly. She really wanted to tell Brooke about her experience with her loss, and she wanted to know why it was that she would shut down.

Brooke nodded her head and stood up to walk with Peyton. Both girls walked out the cafeteria together, and that was the last that the rest of them saw.

* * *

Peyton pulled Brooke to the library so that they could speak alone, without being interrupted by rude people. She walked her to a table and sat across from Brooke, looking into her eyes she finally asked "how're you feeling?"

"Better" Brooke said not quite meeting her gaze.

"You can talk to me" Peyton said, " I know what you're feeling" she said honestly. She really did, she had been through the same thing at a much younger age.

"How is that?" Brooke spat.

Peyton felt a itch in her heart, no on had ever asked her about her mother. "I lost my mother too" she admitted, "I was eight."

"Peyton, I…I'm so sorry" Brooke said sincere, she didn't know that she had been through the same thing. And at the moment she felt so stupid for being so mean to her.

"I know" Peyton said raising her head, she was clutching her hands together. "I went to a deep depression you know" Peyton told her, "my dad was like my own Haley, but one day I realized that I was asking too much from him. I lost my mother, but he lost his wife. He lost his wife and soul mate, the one person that completed him."

"Peyton, I am really sorry. I wish I could do something" Brooke said honestly.

"I know, girlie. But you can" Peyton said, "you can let me help you, you can open up to me."

"I can't" Brooke said letting a few tears fall, "I really want to, but I don't know where to start."

"How about you tell me what you're feeling?" Peyton said reaching for her hand.

Brooke took a deep breath and thought of what to say, there were so many things she was feeling. But she never thought she would be sharing them with Peyton, "I feel weak" she admitted. "Selfish" she let out after a small sob.

"Brooke, you are not a weak person. Come on, you got the team to go to the classic. You are here today, even though you know you're still hurting" Peyton said trying to comfort her.

Brooke sniffed, "I am weak" she stated, "the only reason I'm here is because Nate made me. I am selfish, when he talked to me this morning he told me so."

"He did not" Peyton said shocked.

"He imposed it" Brooke said, "and he's right. I've been selfish. Haley's missed four days of school because of me, she hasn't seen him since the day of because of me, she hasn't even left the house because of me" she said between sniffs, "because of me, because of me" she said, her tone getting louder each time she said it.

Peyton couldn't take it anymore, she walked over to sit on the chair next to Brooke and pulled her to a tight embrace. "You are strong" she stated, "it takes a strong person to admit what you just did" Peyton told her.

Brooke just let her tears fall down her cheeks, cascading their way down to fall at the end of her face. She felt so safe right there with Peyton. Not as safe as she felt with her sister, but still safer then being alone.

The girls sat there in the middle of the library hugging when the bell rang, not thinking about it they pulled apart. Peyton pulled her friend to a side hug, and they walked out of the library together

"What do you say we skip next period?" Peyton asked as they walked down the hall.

"Can't" Brooke said, "I have English with Lucas and Haley"

"I'll see you around then" Peyton said as they walked to their lockers, "want a ride home?"

"Yeah" Brooke said, she was glad to know that there was someone else she could dump her problems on. Not that she didn't like to talk about it with Haley. But know there was someone else to listen to her.

* * *

After her last period Brooke walked to her locker to put all her books away, the once she didn't need to take home anyways. It was like a routine, she would put her books away and meet up with Haley or Lucas. It always depended on what was to come of the day.

"Hey"

"Hey" Brooke said turning around to see the person standing behind her.

"You ready to go?"

"Actually, I told Peyton I would ride with her" Brooke told him holding one of her books closer to her body. She bit her lip "I'm sorry, you can come later if you want" she said.

"I guess" Lucas said a little disappointed. His girlfriend was hurting and all he wanted was to be with her, but she always had someone else there for her.

"I love you" she said softly rubbing his chest.

"I know, pretty girl" he said holding her chin, "I love you too." He then let go of her chin and looked into her eyes, "I'll see ya later" he told her and gave her a quick peck before turning and walking the opposite way.

"You ready" Peyton said jumping next to her friend.

"Yeah" Brooke said trying to sound exited.

Both girls walked out to Peyton's car which was parked all the way at the end of the lot, not taking time to talk t anyone on the way they walked fast as they could.

"You still distant" Peyton said, she stated more then question. But her intentions were good.

Brooke nodded her head, "I just want to know who did it" she said. "I want to know why."

Peyton put the car on drive and drove away from the school. Once on the main road she began to speak, "I think they just don't like you, even though I don't get it. I mean, you are like the sweetest girl I've ever met" Peyton said glancing at her quickly and turning back to the road.

"Thanks" Brooke said thankful. She did consider herself a nice person, but she could be a little harsh at times.

"So, do you want to go for some ice cream?" Peyton asked trying to sound upbeat, she wasn't a very cheerful person. But she wanted to help, anyway she could.

"Sure" was all Brooke said. She really wanted to be home, but she didn't want to be rude to Peyton. Peyton was only trying to help her, it wouldn't be nice of her to just reject her invitation. Also, ice cream always made her feel better.

Peyton nodded and turned right on the light. She drove to the dock, where there was a man with a little ice cream kiosk.

* * *

"Where is Brooke?" Jake as when he saw Haley walk through the door.

"With Peyton" Haley said and walked to the kitchen.

"You left her alone?" he asked harshly walking behind her.

"Hey. She's not her keeper" Nathan shot at Jake.

"She wanted to" Haley said smiling at Nathan then turning it to her cousin, "she's a big girl Jake."

Jake turned around and walked out the door.

Haley stood there shocked at what had just happened, she really didn't get it. Jake was so weird sometimes. One day he could tell her to let Brooke do it alone, and the other he would tell her to be there every step of the way. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with his moods.

"What's with him?" Nathan asked walking in the kitchen.

"Who know" she said shrugging, "grill cheese?" she asked holding a loaf of bread in front of her.

"You know it" he said seating on one of the stools.

Haley got everything ready to prepare them grill cheese sandwiches, then began to get them ready.

* * *

Brooke sat right across from Peyton. They had decided to eat their ice cream at the park. Brooke accepted anything Peyton offered, the girl was only trying to be nice.

"So, how was English?" Peyton asked licking her cone.

Brooke shrugged, "good, I guess. I mean I have Haley there, so I know that no one will say anything. Sometimes I wish I was as strong as she is" Brooke admitted.

Peyton looked at her friend, she felt so sad when Brooke would talk about herself as if she was beneath others. Brooke was anything but beneath, she was a super strong woman. Someone who could do anything she set her mind to.

"Can we go?" Brooke asked braking Peyton from her thoughts.

"Yeah" Peyton said shaking her thoughts out, "umm, let's go" she said fishing for her keys in her bag.

"Thank you" Brooke said. She saw Peyton nod, but she knew that Peyton was getting the wrong idea. "Thank you for being there for me, for talking to me" Brooke elaborated.

Peyton was walking by Brooke towards the car, still licking her ice cream "you're welcome" she said. "I wish I would've had someone there" she admitted.

Peyton never really talked about her feelings, she was more of the keep to herself type. Always trying to hide her feelings, but at times they started to eat you up and you had to release them somehow. For her it was her art, her art released all her tension and feelings. That's why it's all mostly dark drawings.

"Let's get you home" she said getting in her car, as Brooke did the same from the passenger side.

The ride home was quiet, Brooke didn't want to talk about herself anymore. And Peyton, well she didn't want to ask. Brooke had already told her enough, and she didn't want to push it. She knew how people got when someone tried to get to much information out of you, especially when the information was so private.

* * *

Walking through the door Brooke didn't even have time to close it before she was attacked with questions.

"Where were you?" Jake shot.

"How did it go?" Haley asked.

"Where you with Lucas?" Nathan asked.

"Guys" Brooke yelled holding her hands in front of her and waiving them so that they would stop. "First of, I was out" she said pointing to Jake. "It was good" she pointed to Haley. "And no, I was not with Lucas" she pointed to Nathan. "Now, if you'll excuse me I want to go to my room" she said and walked up the stairs, not caring if they had something else to say.

"I think she's getting better" Nathan tried to joke. Which earned him a slap to the chest. "ouch" he said holding the spot Haley had just hit.

"She's hiding something" Haley said knowing her sister.

"What?" Jake asked worried.

The door broke their conversation, as it was knocked. Haley walked over to the door and smiled at what she saw, "in her room" she simply said. Which was enough for Lucas to just walk pass them and up to he room.

"Someone's in a hurry" Nathan joked.

"Did you eat a clown?" Haley asked teasing. Her boyfriend was really into the joke thing today.

"Wanna check" he asked flirty.

"Shut up" she said tilting her head back and walking to the living room.

* * *

Lucas knocked on the door and pocked his head. He saw her laying on her bed just staring at the ceiling, something she had been doing a lot lately.

"Hey" he said walking in.

Brooke jumped and sat up. "Hey" she said crossing her legs so that she was sitting Indian style.

"How was your ride with Peyton?" he asked sitting next to her.

Brooke shrugged, she was still trying to keep her feelings to herself.

"You can talk to me" he assured her. He wanted more then anything for her to talk to him, to tell him what she was feeling.

"I know" she said resting her head on his shoulder, "and I will, when I'm ready."

Lucas nodded understanding, "so what made you go to school today?" he asked wondering.

"More like who" she said annoyed.

"Who?" he asked confused.

"Yeah" she said, "your little brother came in here kicking the bed and saying I had to go to school, something about me trying to hold Haley back" she told him.

"He what?" Lucas asked a little pissed off at his brother. He never thought that Nathan would act that way.

"Relax" she said looking at him, "he was only trying to help. And he did, I mean I went to school and Haley's happy" she said.

"Are you?"

"I am now" she said coyly.

Lucas felt his heart jumping out of his chest, the little things she did and said made him feel like he was high. He was high on love, something that had never happened to him before. He was definitively liking the feeling.

"Come here" Lucas said pulling her to a hug, "I'll always be here for you Brooke, because I love you" he said, never letting her go.

"I know" she said letting a tear fall down her cheek, "and I love you for that" she admitted with a sniff.

"I love you too" Lucas said kissing the top of her head.

* * *

**Okay, so I know it wasn't a really good chapter. But I have to say I've had a really crazy week, and writing is like the only thing that calms me down. Also, I might be taking longer to update for now because the internet is not working at my house, which means I have to wait for the charger thing to arrive. And God knows how long that's gonna take. Please tell me what you think of this chapter. Thanks. =D**


	34. Protection

**Thanks to all the reviews I received last chapter, you guys rock. I hope you all like this chapter, and this story line will last about 3 chapters. It will be all about the weekend the competition and the game. Also there will be some hard stuff that Brooke will be dealing with, but that will start next chapter. **

**I also wanted to apologize, I know it's been forever since I updated. I was just really stuck. =(**

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- Thanks for ALL your help, I know I can always ask you when I'm stuck._**

**_Haley Elizabeth James-hahah I know right, my mom use to say that to me all the time when I was laughing all the time. This chapter has lots of Naley, please enjoy. _**

**_Dianehermans- Thanks for your review, and like I said in the PM I will get working on the story idea you sent me. It might be a little while, but not over a month for me to get started. _**

**_KTxx- Thanks for your review, and the first part of the revenge will be on the next chapter. It will come from Haley, in an attempt to protect her sister (again)_**

**_GottaluvNaley- Thanks for your review, I hope you like this chapter. There is lots of Naley. =D_**

**Chapter 34-**

The state championship was just a few days away, two to be exact. Nathan was more nervous then ever, this was all he ever worked for. This would be the best day of his life if he got to win, well at least on of the bests. He needed to win, it was the only way to prove to his father that he was the best. Dan had always said that Nathan was beneath him, when in reality Nathan was way above him. But Nathan never saw it, it took a long time for him to realize that it was true. A long time, and some good friends.

In order to make sure they arrived in time, and that the girls where on time for their competition; which was a day earlier. They would be leaving Tree Hill in a few hours. Whitey had made it clear that no one could be late, no one. If any of them were to be late, they would have to find their own way, and accept the punishment they got when they arrived. Without wanting any of that, most of them had been getting ready since the previous days.

It was Thursday, and the day was beautiful. The girls were getting ready to go, their bags near the door waiting for their ride, as well as Jake. They would all ride with Nathan, who would be picking them up in about thirty minutes. They really wanted to get something to eat before they took the long drive.

"Haley, do you know where my lip gloss is?"

Haley hated when her sister asked her for things, it's not like she was the one who used them.

Hearing no response Brooke walked over to her sister and stood right in front of her, "are you ignoring me, or just not telling me?" Brooke really hated when Haley did that, she knew her answer, but she was just hoping for her to say; 'no' or 'I think it's in your room' or 'didn't you use it yesterday.' Really anything would have worked, all she needed was to know that Haley was listening.

"No" Haley said irritated, "I don't use your lip gloss." Turning to walk towards the door she felt her phone vibrate, she quickly pulled it form her pocket to see who it was.

"Who is it?" Brooke asked impatiently.

Haley ignored her sister as a joke, she knew Brooke understood. It was the way it was, they always played stupid mind games. Although sometimes one of them took it too far, and the rest was not good news. She press the accept button and put the phone to her ear.

Brooke could only hear her sister's replies. "Hey... Yeah... Okay.... Mmhmm... Okay, I'll see you then... Me too, bye." All she wanted was to know what she was talking about, she had already figured out who it was. "What did he say?" an impatient Brooke asked.

Knowing that her sister would probably crack, and brake. Especially since she was still a bit emotional about the whole article thing, even if it was over two weeks ago she told her. "They'll be here in ten, get you're stuff ready" she said, then walked to the living room to watch some T.V while she Brooke went back to look for her lip gloss.

* * *

Just in time they arrived at the school, the bus was already full with students and they were the last ones there. All because Lucas decided that it was important to Brooke to have her lip gloss, so they would have to find it before they left the house. Much to the other three's dislike, they all helped and finally found it in her purse. Brooke was always known for being disorganized, she always had her sister to be the organized one.

"Well, it's about time you showed up. We were about to leave with out you" Whitey said folding his arms in front of him.

"Sorry coach, Brooke had an emergency" Lucas said. He knew he was lie, but it was only a white lie. She did have an emergency, but only in her and his eyes.

"Really" Whitey asked sarcastically, he then looked at them from one end to the other. "Well I don't see any broken bones, or bruises."

"Bus is leaving" the driver yelled.

"Alright, all of you in the bus" he said swinging his hand towards the bus door.

All four teens walked to the bus followed by Whitey, and the driver began to drive.

* * *

"Oh god, that was the longest ride ever." Groaning Nathan jumped the last step of the bus.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be worth it" Haley said flirtatiously.

Brooke was next on line, followed by Lucas and the rest of the team and squad. Taking her last step she looked at her sister, "what is that suppose to mean." She looked at her sister, hoping that Haley would cave. But that never happened.

"It just means that a good massage can get rid of it all" she said patting Nathan's back.

Nathan let out a sight at her touch. "That sound good."

"Let's get in" Lucas said pulling Brooke along with him.

Everyone was gathered at the lobby waiting to receive their keys. Girls were all talking amongst each other as well as the boys. Whitey stepped closer and started handing out the keys, everyone was divided into twos in alphabetical order.

On the way up everyone was once again divided, since not all of them fit in the elevator. Haley, Brooke, Lucas, Nathan, Millie, Mouth, Tim, and Skills all got into the same elevator.

"How are you doing, Brooke?" Millie asked.

Brooke turned to face her friend, it had been a long time since they had actually talked "um, good."

"Good."

Getting of the elevator Brooke took Lucas' key and handed it to Haley, and Haley handed Brooke her key. That way they would be in the room with their boyfriends, and not each other. There really was no problem with being with each other, and Brooke really wanted be with her sister. But as much as she wanted to, she knew that it would mean a lot to Haley if she let her have the night with Nathan. She had been spending every night with Brooke since the article, well at least most night. And a night alone now would be a selfless thing to do, and that was all she wanted to do.

"Thanks" Haley whispered to her sister as she walked by her.

"Hey girlies" a very excited Peyton said walking out of a room. She walked over to them and kissed both girls, and received a hug back form each of the girls. "So what room did you get?"

Looking around to make sure Jake wasn't around, both girls looked at their key. "705" said Brooke

"711" Haley told her.

"Wait, you're in different rooms?" Nathan asked confused. He didn't expect them to get separate rooms, he usually got the same as Lucas because of the last name. And both Brooke and Haley were James, so they had to get the same room. It all made no sense.

Haley elbowed him and pulled his key away, then put both keys back in his hands so that he made see them. When he saw that they were the same number he widen his eyes in realization, then turned to her and smiled.

Brooke grabbed her boyfriend's hand and pulled him into their room. She quickly placed her bag on one of the beds and ran to the other, she jumped on it and settled right in the middle spreading herself out like an X.

"Don't you look comfortable?"

"I am" she said, "but you know what would be better?" After the nod she continued, "if you were here with me" she said seductively and patted the side next to her.

Lucas didn't need her to ask him twice, he ran over to her and a jumped next to her.

"You know what?"

She turned on her side so that she was facing him, "what?"

"I think this was a really smart thing to do." He reached over to her and pulled her closer to him. His hands tangled through her hair as he pulled her face towards his own.

Pulling away from a great kiss, Brooke looked at him "oh really?" She saw him nod, which made her want to kiss him even more, "then I guess you're lucky." She reached him and collided her lips with his, with a sweet, tender, yet passionate kiss. Every now and then she would let out a moan not realizing it.

* * *

"Okay, so your stuff are in these drawers" she said pointing to the ones in the, "and my this drawers have mine, okay?"

"Okay" Nathan said. He would never understand why he fell for a girl who was so organized. His whole life he had been the messiest person in his class, and in his family. But now, now there was a whole other side to him. He didn't mind people taking care of him, or at least her. And he loved to take care of her in return.

"What's on your mind?" Haley wanted to know, but wasn't sure she would like the answer. With Nathan it was always a surprise. especially since the whole article thing, he had been quite harsh on her. All he really wanted was for her to live her life, and allow Brooke to have her own time to heal.

"You" he said.

She walked over to him and sat on the bed, right next to him. "What about me?"

"I just can't believe you like me." Nathan's eyes immediately shot wide open at the realization of his words.

"Why?" she asked a little hurt.

"Oh, no. It's not bad. It's just... Well I..." He stumbled at his own words, he didn't know how to put his thoughts into words. "You're so nice, and organize, and... well perfect." He saw her smile, something he really loved about her but hadn't seen all that much in the passed weeks. "Then there is me. I'm the total opposite, and I guess I really don't get why it is you like me? You could have any guy you want, I'm sure they would line up to date you. And Wel-" He would have continued his ramble, but was cut of by her lips hitting his. Her lips just shut him up, and it was the best way to do it.

Not even thinking about it he deepened the kiss. His hand roaming all around her hair as she was still sitting. he placed his free hand around her waist and pulled her down to him. Somehow he managed to get her to lay down on the bed, then he quickly, but very carefully leaned on top. Never once did they brake away from the kiss. A few moans were let out here and there, while the passion of it all got to them.

Nathan pulled away and looked at her big brown eyes, the only eyes he loved to see in the position he was at the moment.

"What's wrong?" she asked confused, yet at the same time she was a little embarrassed.

He rested his forehead on hers and let out a sigh, as much as he would love for it to go further he knew she wanted it to be special."I love you" was all he said. Three small words that could mean the world to the person on the other end of it, and he could see it in her eyes that they meant just that much to her.

"I love you too" she said giving him a peck, then she hit his chest. "But I have to go, I have a practice. And you know my sister, she will make me stay late if I don't get there in time" she said. Somehow she managed to get out from under him, then she looked at his shocked face. "Don't look so surprise, I'll see you later." she walked back to him and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

* * *

"No" Brooke yelled. She was getting really frustrated with the squad. It was the fifth time they went through the routine, and they still didn't get it right. "It's up, the down, then together and jump, the turn, then you smile and kick" she told them, more like order them while she showed them the steps.

"Brooke, I think you should calm down a little."

"You know how important this is. Haley come on, just stick with it. Okay"

Haley let out a sigh and smiled at her very competitive sister, "okay."

"One more time girls" Brooke yelled. Then the music started and the routine began to run it's self.

* * *

"So you're all alone" Lucas said walking into his brother's room. More like the room that was suppose to be his, but was given to Haley by Brooke.

Nathan walked out of the bathroom and saw his brother sitting on his bed. "Let's go" he said walking over to his bag and pulling out a basketball.

Lucas got off the bed and walked to the door with his brother. As always they practiced before a game, and since this was an away game, they had to go and find a court. Or they would just have to practice in the gym.

"I'm so exited for this game, I can't believe we made it this far."

"Yeah, just imagine how Whitey feels" Nathan said as they walked down the hall. Reaching the elevator they got in an pressed the button to the main lobby.

"Yeah, I think he's been waiting for this for a long time. He deserves it" Lucas said with a huge smile on his face.

"We sure need to win this one, he deserves it."

"You got that right, little brother."

"Dude" Nathan said through his teeth, "we're in public." He hated it when Lucas called him his little brother. Nathan knew he was the younger one, and everyone in town knew. But they weren't in tree hill anymore, he really didn't want all these other people to know.

"Fine" Lucas said. He grabbed the ball from Nathan and walked out to the lobby. "Let's go find a court."

Still standing in the elevator, Nathan realized that Lucas was gone. He then ran after his brother and began to walk next to him once he caught up to him.

With that both boys walked out the hotel in hopes of finding a place were they could let their life go, and their skills to the talking.

* * *

The room was empty as she walked in. Everything was still the same way it she had left it. It seemed like he had actually listened, and had keep everything nice and clean. Haley was glad he had listened, and had managed to not leave his clothes everywhere when he changed. She didn't really know where he was, but she loved the fact that he left the room clean.

Walking around the room she got an idea, something she had been planning for a long time. She had wanted this ever since she met him, but her self control helped her get through it. Now, she was sure it was time. Now it was time, she was going to make it special for both of them. With that though, she called room service and began to get things all ready to go.

After what seemed like forever, Haley had finally finished. The room looked beautiful, as if it was cut out of a magazine. The white bed spread had tons of red rose pedals, and there were white candles all around the room. Proud of her work she walked into the bathroom to change. She was never much of a sexy lingerie type of girl, but the occasion called for it. Not thinking about it any longer she changed and walked back to the room to wait for the men she loves.

It felt like it had been forever that she had been waiting there. She was sitting on the bed with her phone, debating whether or not she should call or text him. If she did, she would sound to horny and needy and that was not the case. But on the other hand she really wanted him to get there. As much as she wanted to she didn't, she placed her phone on the side table and picked up a book. I know, boring. Who starts reading before you're about to give yourself to someone you love, the answer Haley James.

* * *

"I'll see ya later" Nathan said pounding fists with Lucas.

Lucas pound the fist and turned to his door, "I'll see you in the morning. I'm sure Brooke will have Haley up by four" Lucas joked. He then proceeded to walk in his room.

Left all alone in the hallway, Nathan began to walk towards his room. Reaching number 711 he pulled out his key and put in the small keyhole, seen the light turn from red to green he turned the handle and opened the door.

Completely taken of guard his mouth dropped to the floor. He never expected for Haley to do all of that, especially since he didn't know why. The room looked beautiful, the petals, and the candles. He was completely taken back. But then his eyes landed on the figure on the bed. There she was sitting on the bed with nothing but a sexy black lingerie item, her eyes completely focused on a book.

Haley was so into her book, that she never heard the door being opened. Let alone hear the boy walk in the room. She didn't even feel his eyes on her as she looked through the page. Slowly turning the page she looked up to see if the candles were burning too far. But saw something that she wanted to see much more then candles.

She closed her book and put it on the side table, "I…What … Hi" she tumbled but finally got the word out of her mouth.

"What's this?" he asked a little surprised.

Haley looked up at him and sat up, "it's for you."

"For me?"

"Yes" she said crawling to the end of the bed.

Nathan walked to the end of the bed to meet her. Once he reached the spot he placed his hands on her waist and looked down at her.

"I love you" she said, then reached up to him and kiss him. While her hands placed with his hair.

Nathan pulled her away, gently. He looked at her up and down, and was at lost with words. There really was no words for him to say, anything he would say at the moment would be an understatement. He saw her blushed just a little, which made him chuckle. Then he grabbed her face between his hands and began to kiss her.

Every second the kiss was deepened more, every second made the kiss more passionate, every second was getting them one step closer to share an intimate moment.

He grabbed her by the waist and placed he down on the bed gently, then climbed over her and kept kissing her. His tongue making his way to her mouth. His tongue was battling with her tongue as she tried to pull his shirt over his head. Pulling away for a second so that the shirt could make it's way up. Once the shirt was off, Haley pulled him back down with her hands wrapped around his neck.

After she had managed to get his pants of, Nathan pulled away. He leaned on his forearm and looked down at her. "Haley, are you sure you want this?" he asked concerned. The last thing he wanted was to push her, he loved her and would never do that to her.

Haley was shocked at this, but she wasn't surprised. She had told him that she wanted to wait till marriage as her mother had told them, but sometimes love speeds up the process. Now she was ready, and there was no better time for her to do this then now.

"Yes" she said. Her voice sounding breathless.

"Okay" he agreed, he pulled away her hair from her face so that he could see her more clearly. "I love you" he said, then he kissed her forehead.

"Where are you going?" she asked a little scared when he stood up. All she wanted was to make the night special, and being left hanging had nothing special about it.

Nathan chuckled a little as he walked to his bag, he could feel her eyes n his back. He then zipped the bag back and turned around, "protection" he said holding the condom so that she could see.

Haley let out a half sigh half laugh thing, then laid back down on the bed.

After a few second Nathan crawled back on top and kissed her deeply, now he was on a mission. A mission to make her his, to show her how much she meant to him, and just how much he loves her.

Letting out a few moans here and there they continued to give into each other. When air became and issue Nathan began to trail down her neck and towards her collarbone, leaving soft butterfly kisses. Haley bit her lip as he reached her pressure point, she didn't want a loud moan to leave her mouth. They were at a school activity, and pretty much every room on that floor was filled with students.

Nathan proceeded to take of her bra and threw it on the flour, then continued kissing his way down her stomach. Reaching down to her panties he pulled them of her and also threw them on the floor, her really didn't care about keeping the room clean and organize at this point. Right now all he wanted was to feel himself inside her, and he was sure she wanted the same thing.

**Okay guys, I know it ended out of nowhere. But the story is rated T and I really don't know if there are readers out there who would be uncomfortable with a whole sex scene thing. But if it's cool with all of you just tell me and I'll make sure to add it in a flashback or something. =D**

**Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think. =D**


	35. Give Me The Picture

**Thanks to all the review on the last chapter, here is the next on I really hope you like it. **

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- there is nothing to say but THANKS. I love it that you push me to get the updates going. It gives me a reason to keep writing. _**

**_GottaluvNaley- I hope you like this chapter, it has more Naley. But not all that much. Still the I hope you like it. The next chapter will have more of them together._**

**_Dianehermans- I got your story going, its called _Cupid's little Helper. _I really hope you like it JustLikeBrookeDavis came up with the name, and it think it's perfect. I really hope you like it. Also thanks so much for your review. And Brooke and Lucas' first time it's comin. _**

**_KTxx- Brandon will be coming back. I have something coming for him, but I need to approach it the right way. But you can expect him to bring more drama to NALEY. _**

**_Naleyfan493- thanks for your review. I'm not sure, but I think this is your first. Thanks. I've been thinking about it, and it will be in a flashback or something. Thanks again. =D_**

**_HaleyElizabethJames- Thanks for your review, and the Naley is always good. Also keep up the good work with your story, and please update it soon. =D_**

**_Thanks to all and please enjoy…_**

Chapter 35-

Haley woke up and fluttered her eyes a bit to adjust to the light. A smile came to her face when she remembered the previous night; she loved every moment of it. She turned to her side and saw the one person that was responsible for her smile, but seen him made it even bigger.

"Morning" he said looking at her.

"Morning" she replied.

Nathan reached over to her and kissed her gently then pulled away. "How'd you sleep?"

"Great" she said with a grin.

"Well" he raised his eyebrow, "I don't mind repeating it every night, so that you can have that response all the time."

"Down boy" she said, then sat up and held the sheet close to her body. She then stood up and wrapped the sheet around her body, and turned to him.

"Where are you going?"

"To shower"

"Seriously?" he asked, "now?"

Haley leaned down to him and kissed him on the lips; it was soft and passionate, but quick. "Yes." She turned to walk towards the bathroom, "besides, Brooke will be knocking the door in a minutes. So I suggest you get dress."

Nathan grinned. He loved that he had made her his the previous night. The whole night was perfect, from the candles to the petals, to her reading a book on the bed. He loved every moment they spent together, and last night was just another great moment for the collection.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a load knock on the door. He didn't believe Haley when she told him that Brooke would be there soon, so he hadn't bother on putting close one. He quickly sat up and looked around, and all he saw was clothes scattered all around the room. Jumping from his spot he grabbed his boxer and slipped them on, then walked around the bed picking up all the clothes and shoving it under the bed.

The knock came one more time, but this time it was louder. "Coming" he yelled.

"Hurry, I don't have all day."

There it was. There was the voice he never expected. He hated when Haley was right, and that was one more big 'I told you so' moment.

He looked around the room and was happy with his work; he then walked towards the door. Right as he was about to reach the door knob he remembered the sheet, the sheet she had taken to the bathroom. He ran to the bathroom and pulled the sheet from the floor and threw it on the bed, he really didn't want Brooke to be spreading it all around.

"What the hell took you so long" Brooke said entering the room, she looked around to see if anything was out of the ordinary.

"I was sleeping" he lied.

"Where is Haley? And, why are there candles everywhere?" she asked.

"She's in the shower."

"What about the candles?" Brooke like always pushed to get her answers.

"How am I supposed to know? Haley was here last night, when I got here she was sleeping."

"Fine" she said giving up. He obviously had an answer to everything. She then walked to the bathroom and walked right in.

"What are you doing?" Nathan asked a little worried.

"I need to talk to my sister" she said, then walked in the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

* * *

"Come on girls, we need to get this right. The competition is in two hours, and we need to have it down perfectly." Brooke was standing in front of her squad making sure they all got every move of her routine right. Her routine was killer, but good was never enough for her.

"Up, down, left, up, right, up, down , together, toe touch" she instructed as they ran through it. "Perfect." The smile on her face was huge, no one would ever be able to wipe it. She was sure they would win.

"Brooke, I think you should let everyone go get ready" Peyton said looking at the time.

Brooke knew she was right, she turned to the squad. "Okay girls, we're going to do it one more time then you'll go get ready. I want everyone with a curly ponytail and a white ribbon, not black or blue. WHITE, am I clear?"

"We know what white is, Brooke" Bevin said.

"Alright" she said through her teeth, "let's start. Five, sixe, seven, eight, and one, two, three…" she continued to instruct the routing until it was finished. Every stepped was nailed, every one had the perfect smile. All of this brought confidence to Brooke, she knew that they would definitively win now.

* * *

All three girls were walking down the hall to Brooke's room. They would be getting ready there, after all Brooke would make them change little things anyways, so why not just let her tell you what you were doing wrong at the moment.

The halls were pretty much empty as they walked towards the rooms, then one door open and a certain red head come out of it. Brooke continued walking, but Haley had a few things to straighten out with her.

"Haley, come on" Brooke order her sister.

"I'll be there soon, just go get ready."

Brooke didn't really know what was running through her sister's mind, but she really didn't want to leave her alone with Rachel. "I'll wait."

"No." Haley was very stern about all of it, she wanted to be alone and she was going to make sure her sister wasn't there. "Go" she order, "I'll be there soon."

Brooke understood. When Haley order something, it was for a reason. And you didn't want to be on her bad side. Listening to her sister she grabbed Peyton and pulled her into her room.

"Why is she talking to Rachel?" Peyton asked, she was as confused as Brooke.

"I don't know, but I'm sure it's not good."

"I don't think we should've left her alone, I really don't trust Rachel."

"What do you want?" Rachel was very confident, in everyway. She knew that she could kick Haley's ass if she wanted, and she wouldn't hesitate if she had to do it.

"You know what I want."

Rachel chuckled, "no, I don't."

"Where's the picture" Haley said in all seriousness. She wasn't going to beat around the bush, she wanted the picture and she wanted it now.

"What picture?" Rachel asked confused.

"You know what picture, you took it. I don't know how you did it, but you did. Now all I want is for you to give it back to me."

"Haley, don't be so stupid. Can't you understand. I told you, I don't have it."

"Give me. The picture." Haley was getting mad, she didn't have the time to play around with Rachel. All she wanted was the picture, and Rachel was just joking about it.

"I. don't have it."

"Rachel, can I borrow your… Haley"

"You did it."

"What?"

"you took the picture" Haley said looking at the girl who was still standing by the door, "how could you?"

"What are you talking about?" Millie played dumb.

Haley's patients was running out, both this girls were playing with her and she was getting tired of. "Give it to me."

"I don't know what you're talking about?"

"You are a bitch" Haley said jumping on her, she pulled her hair and brought Millie down with her by the hair.

"Let me go" Millie pleaded.

Haley was straddling Millie and pulling her hair as hard as she could, she was one hundred percent sure that Millie was the one who took the picture, and she was going to make the bitch pay.

"Get off her" Rachel said pulling Haley by the waist. Since that wasn't helping she moved he hands up and began to pull Haley's hair as well. She wasn't going to let Haley hurt the one and only friend she had managed to make in Tree Hill.

Peyton had turned on the music loud, so the girls had no idea of the commotion that was going on outside the room. They were just living the moment, singing along with the radio and dancing around getting ready.

"Let me go" Haley yelled trying to pull away from Rachel, but the girl had a tight hold on her hair.

Somehow Rachel had managed to drag Haley off of Millie and onto the floor, and was not letting go of her. Her grip got tighter and tighter on her hair, and she was enjoying every moment of hearing her scream.

"Let go" Haley yelled louder.

"Hey, Hey…" A voice was heard and the girls were pulled away from each other.

Once she was up Haley ran to Rachel and wanted to pull the girl's hair out, just like Rachel had been pulling hers. But she was stopped right before reaching Rachel, "calm down" she heard the voice say.

"Let me go" Haley order. But the hands got tighter around her, "Nathan, let go." She felt him release and she ran to her room. All she wanted was a picture back, and it all turned into a big fight. Which did not end well.

"It looks like you won't be getting any action tonight" Rachel joked, then she turned and walked to her room.

Millie however stayed out, she looked at boys and you could tell that she was ashamed of something.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted people to like me, I didn't know she would be using it for that. I just wanted to be her friend."

"Millie, what are you talking about?" Nathan didn't understand what she was sorry for, or why she wanted to be Rachel's friend for that matter.

"I did it. It's my fault" she admitted, "I took the picture."

"What picture?" Lucas was confused, the girl was admitting to things. But he had no clue what she was admitting to.

"I know what picture" Nathan said, he then turned around and walked towards his room.

"Nathan, wait" Millie said. When she saw him stop she ran in the room and came out holding something. She held it out to him and made sure he took it, "please don't hate me."

Lucas looked at the picture his brother was now holding, and all the pieces came together. He now understood why the fight had happened, he understood why Haley was so mad. But he didn't know why Brooke wasn't there, why she wasn't helping her sister.

Nathan took the picture and walked towards his room, he didn't understand why Millie would ever want to hurt nice people to be friends with such an evil one.

"Why?" Lucas could wrap the whole thing around his head, he couldn't understand any of it. "Why Brooke?"

"I don't know" Millie was being honest, she really didn't know why she had done it. "I wish I could take it back. I really do."

"Well you can't. You hurt her, and you watch her go through all that pain and never said anything. How could you?"

"I'm sorry."

"Well sorry isn't going to get you very far. Brooke's not want to talk to you ever again. You should go talk to you friend." Lucas signaled her to go back to the room where Rachel had gone. He turned around and walked into his room.

* * *

After the whole fight thing in the hall Nathan walked back to his room, but he didn't give her the picture back or tell her about the things Millie had said. He just tried to calm her down and make sure she went to Brooke so that they could get ready. As much as he wanted to tell her, he knew that she would just brake down. He knew that she would somehow suck up all the anger and focus on the competition to make her sister happy, but she would just brake down later. He just wanted her to have a good time, at least for the competition. He could handle an angry, pissed of Haley during the game. But he knew Brooke wouldn't be able to handle her during a competition.

Lucas had done the same thing with Brooke. He walked in the room and told her that Haley was with Nathan and that she should probably let them talk. Brooke understood and dropped the subject. Then he left the room and let the girls get ready, since Peyton was already there. He wanted to tell her, but he couldn't handle a sad Brooke at the moment. The last thing he wanted was for her to break down before the biggest competition of her life.

"You tell her?" Nathan asked his brother, as Lucas began to sit next to him.

Lucas shook his head, "no, I think I'll tell her tonight. I don't want her to worry about anything while she's doing her cheer. What about you?"

"Na." Nathan turned to look back to the stage, "She just cried, I couldn't tell her."

"You guys are so whipped." Both guys turned to see Jake sitting behind them, "but you should tell them, they're going to be pissed if they found out from other sources."

Both guys looked at each other worried. What if Rachel told them while they waited, or Millie for that matter. They were hopping none of them would tell them anything. They were broken out of their thoughts when a voice came blasting through the speakers, a little to loud for their liking.

"Welcome everyone" the host said. The crowd screamed, and whistled in excitement. "I hope you guys like this competition. We have some of the best squad here. So, let's get this started."

The competition went on for hours. Squad after squad went on stage trying to prove that they were the best. The flips and the stunts were crazy, and some where even unbelievable. Small girls flew high as birds could fly, and the competition seem to get more intense with each squad that went on stage.

"Alright, up next we have the Tree Hill Raven. Give it up for them" The host said and ran off the stage.

The girls all walked to the stage and took their positions, and Brooke gave the signal for the music to start. An awesome mix came out, and the girls nailed every single one of their moves. Every move was done to perfection, and everything came out great.

The smile on Brooke's face couldn't be wiped with anything, or at least that's what she thought. Before stepping off the stage she blew a kiss, and hugged her sister tightly. She truly believed that she would've never gotten that far it if wasn't for her sister.

* * *

The night went by so fast. With the competition, and the girls wining both best choreography and number one in the state. Everyone was happy for them. Lucas had managed to let them stay out a little later then curfew, so that they could go out to dinner and celebrate their victory.

They were all currently sitting at the restaurant. Well not all, just Jake, Nathan, Lucas, Peyton, Brooke, and Haley. Also Millie was there, Brooke insisted that she went. Lucas and Nathan kept giving poor Millie dirty looks, they couldn't believe she accepted the invite after what she did. They didn't even understand how she could look at them, and not feel guilty.

"I think we should go" Nathan said, he really couldn't take being with Millie any longer.

"What? Why?" Haley didn't get why he was acting so strange, he was so defensive.

Nathan stood up and looked down at her, "Let's just go. Okay?" His tone was really nice and sweet, but his facial expression said other wise.

"I'll go" Millie said standing up. She knew that the whole thing was about her, and she wasn't going to let them ruin their night because she was stupid enough to let get that picture for Rachel.

"What's going on?" Haley could tell that there was something between the two, they kept glaring at each other. And now , now they both wanting to leave.

"Haley, I-"

"Don't" Lucas order getting up. "You, don't say anything" he pointed to Millie, "and you sit, you're going to finish this meal with us."

"Lucas, calm down." Brooke didn't get why he was so altered.

"can we just eat."

"Fine" Nathan said and sat back down.

"I'll let you guys finish." Millie stood up and walked away from them.

"What's wrong with her?" Brooke was a little concerned. She had notice Millie getting colder with her, and pulling away. But she really didn't know why, still she wished she did.

"I think she might be moving" Bevin said, she really didn't know what was wrong. But she did know that Millie moved around a lot, and everyone hates leaving a life behind.

"We should talk to her" Brooke suggested.

Lucas and Nathan looked at each other, the look lasted a while. Something that didn't go unnoticed by some of the people on the table.

**I hope you liked the chapter. And don't forget to check out my new stories. Double Affair and Cupid's Litted Helper (which the idea came form _dianehermans _and the name came from _JustLIkeBrookeDavis_)**

**Thanks =D**


	36. Lying Bitch

**Thanks you so much for all the reviews everyone. I hope you like this chapter. **

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- thanks for your review, and the next chapter has all the drama you've been waiting for. _**

**_KTxx-I'm still thinking of how to bring Brandon back, but there is a big possibility he will be back next chapter. There will be lots of drama going on with Brooke, and I think Haley needs to get some too. _**

**_GottaluvNaley- You were right, CONGRATS. Haley find out during this chapter, and her reaction is very unexpected. _**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- I know, I really feel sorry for Millie. But she totally looks like the people pleaser kind. I was actually thinking of having Brooke forgive her, but not yet. Just a thought._**

**_Dianehermans- thanks for your review, and I'm glad you're liking the Brucas story so far. I usually write about everyone, so it's been a challenge to write about just one couple._**

**_OTHfan1- haha I loved your review, and I will have some jealous Nathan. But I love how you made it to be as Haley's personal turn on. haha I might just have to have her think that way. Thanks  
_**

Chapter 36-

The game was on full swing. Ravens were up by twenty points. On the sidelines the girls cheered like they would never cheer again, and most of them wouldn't. Brooke would probably be the only one who would keep doing it through out college.

"Go. Ravens. Go" they yelled simultaneously.

The boys were on fire. The ball was practically invisible at the speed they moved to get it across the court. They had played a terrific first half, but this second one was much better. There really was no way they would lose. The ravens were on fire, and the crowd was loving it.

Every second the clock ticked, was one more second closer to victory. There was nothing to be done, but to play a good game; which they were. They were playing the game of their lives. Giving all they had to it, as did the girls with the cheer.

* * *

"Three seconds left on the game, ladies and gentlemen. Both Scott boys have played the game of their lives, along with the rest of the team. Jake Jageilski doing a great job, as well as Tim Smith, and Antwon Skills Taylor. This team has been unstoppable this season. But it all comes down to this, this is the moment of truth." Mouth kept announcing to the crowd the play-by-play of the last few minutes left.

The girls were standing under the basket which belonged to them. The were holding hands and hopping that Pontiac wouldn't steal the ball. But even if they did, they wouldn't win. They were practically losing by half. It would take a miracle for them to recover from that. Still, they hoped that the Ravens would be able to end with the ball in their hands.

"Scott shoots the ball, and…" Mouth paused as the ball that had just been thrown by Nathan flew through the air of the Gym.

Everything felt like it was going in slow motion. The time felt as if slowed down by the second. Nathan just stood there looking as the ball travel, but he wasn't the only one. Everyone around them seemed to be completely quiet. Everyone watched the ball as it traveled. When the ball finally swished through the net, the crowd jumped up cheering. The roars where loud as a.

"We win, Ravens win" Mouth yelled through the speakers. His voice was heard throughout the whole gym, and his excitement was also felt by the rest of the people in there.

Mouth jumped of his spot and ran to the middle of the court to congratulate his friends.

Lucas turned to his brother and gave him a tight hug, then he felt more people gathering in their little moment. The brotherly hug had turned to a group hug, as all the boys in the team ran up to them and joined in.

The girls ran to their friends and boyfriend in the middle of the court and began hugging like there was no tomorrow. Hugging like it was the last time they would be able to hug each other.

Brooke ran to Jake along with her sister, and they both hugged him tightly. They were so proud of him, and wanted to be sure they were the first ones to tell him.

"You did" Brooke said pulling away.

"Congrats, you deserve this." Haley then turned around to go find Nathan.

XXX

Brooke ran to Lucas and jumped to him. He caught her and span her around. Her legs wrapped around his waist as she kissed him deeply. She wanted him to know exactly how proud she was of him, and a kiss was the perfect way.

XXX

"Jake!" Peyton said trying to get his attention. Was that was gained she ran to him and hugged him. "Congratulations." She knew he had been working hard for this, and that made her so proud.

"Thanks" Jake said, then he grabbed her face and kissed her fast. The kiss was so intense and full of passion. It was as if he was trying to let go of all the tension he had felt through out the game. "Thanks for being here."

Peyton pulled away, and looked at his brown eyes. She smiled and nodded, then she proceeded to kiss him again. It was the only thing she wanted to do, just kiss him.

XXX

"Looking for me?" Nathan asked sneaking behind her.

Haley flinched and turn to face the exact person she had been looking for. "Actually" she teased, "I was looking for my boyfriend, have you seen him anywhere?"

Nathan played along with her little game, he knew that eventually she would cave. She always did. "Can you tell me what this _boyfriend_ looks like?"

Haley pretended to think, "well.." She then looked up to him. "He's really tall, and he this really intense blue eyes. He's pretty build, but is a total teddy bear. I'm sure you can't miss him."

"Did he shoot the winning basket?" She nodded, "does his name start with an N?"

"Yes" she said telling him he was getting warmer.

"Could it possibly be…" He paused, he wanted her to cave.

"Who?"

Nathan said nothing, and the silence was driving her crazy. She wanted so bad to just cave, but then what fun would that be. Then again, if she did cave she would get to kiss him. She thought about it, and opted to cave. She wanted his lips so bad.

"Fine" she said frustrated, she leaned up to him and gave him a quick peck. "Congrats."

"That's all I get?" He was obviously joking, but he really did want more.

Haley nodded, but her head quickly stopped when he was grabbed by to hands. She then felt his lips hovering hers, and the kiss had began. She was enjoying every second of it, and allowed him in as soon as his tongue poked out of his mouth.

XXX

Finally coming up for air Lucas put her down, the kiss had lasted long enough and he could keep her up any longer.

Putting her down, he never took his eyes off her. He loved to look at her, even in a crowd she stood out. He loved that she was so different, yet a good different.

* * *

Right after the trophy ceremony Whitey had them all in the bus. He really didn't like the whole driving in the night thing, so he made sure the sun was still up when they left. The sun wouldn't be up much longer, but at least they wouldn't make it home all that late.

They were all sitting near each other. Actually, they sat relatively close on their way there as well.

Brooke sat with Lucas, Haley with Nathan, and Peyton sat with Jake. They were all sitting on the back seat. The only thing they wanted now was to get home. They had a long weekend, and their own beds sounded pretty good.

With competition and championships they were beat, but some of them had a little extra to be tired about.

The bus took off, and most of the girls leaned on their boyfriends to rest. The adrenaline came down, and so did they.

* * *

Monday came around, and most of the students were tired. Mostly it was the cheer squad and the basketball team. They had arrived late the previous night, but had to be in school for an assembly they were holding for them. It was after all the first state championship they had won in a long time, possibly ever. When Dan played they only got close, but they ended up losing when he walked out on the team.

Whitey presented the assembly and honored the team. He was so proud of his players, he always thought of them as his own kids. In a way they were, he was the one who was there the most for them. He presented all the awards, and then told the students they could go off to lunch.

Whitey had managed to allow the students, at least the seniors to have a full hour lunch. With that done, Brooke and Haley were ready to go with their cousin and boyfriends. They wanted nothing more then to eat outside of school. School lunch had become a little boring after the whole year.

"I think we should go to the café." Lucas loved his mother's cooking, and he knew that everyone else would agree with him. It was after all the best food you could get in town.

"I love it" Brooke said licking her lips. She was very excited about going there. Karen always had what she wanted, even if it was rare.

"Let's go then." Nathan grabbed Haley's hand and began walking towards his car. "We'll just take my car." He reached the car and unlocked it for them all to get in.

Nathan drove to the café, and got there in record time. The drive was fast and quick. Not really giving them any time to talk, but it was all good, they would have plenty of time to talk while they eat.

"Hey Ma" Lucas walked towards his mother and gave her a big bear hug.

The rest of the gang went and took over a table. They usually got a booth, but they weren't sure they would all fit on the boot. So, to keep it safe they went for the table.

Karen walked with her son towards the table were the rest of the kids were, "what can I get you kids today?"

"I'll have the usual" Haley said raising her hand.

"Turkey sandwich" Nathan said.

"Cesar Salad, with a side of lasagna" Brooke yelled.

"I'll have a double cheese burger" Peyton said. The girl could sure eat a lot, she actually loved her meat.

"I'll take a chicken noodle soup." Jake always went for the healthy dish.

Karen nodded after she had all their orders down. She already knew what they would have, they always had the same thing. She then turned to face her son. "The usual?" she asked, after he nodded she nodded back. "I'll be right back" she said, then she disappeared into the kitchen

"I can't believe you guys won." Brooke was still excited about the whole game thing. She had never been to a school with guys, so she had never really seen a school basketball game, none the less a state championship game. This was all very new to her, but she loved the feeling she got when they won.

"They are the best." Peyton leaned to Jake and kissed him, "they've always been."

Brooke looked at Peyton and waited for her to let go of her cousin. Once that was done she began "and you know this how?"

"I've been cheering for years" she admitted. Sure, she hadn't been dating Jake back then, but that didn't mean she wasn't keeping and eye on him.

"Well, wasn't someone quite the stoker" Brooke said with a grin. "If I didn't know you and liked you so much, I wouldn't let you near my cousin." Brooke was only joking, and she knew that Peyton understood.

"Haha" Peyton deadpanned.

"Come on, it was only a joke."

"Oh look who's here" Rachel said walking towards them. She acted like she didn't know they were there, but really, where else would they be.

"What do you want, Rachel?" Haley really didn't want that bitch anywhere near her sister.

"I was just coming to eat. Then I saw you and decided to say _hello_ to the James sisters, or the James twins, or adopted kids, or _orphans_. Whatever you call yourselves." Rachel knew that it would hurt them if she called them orphans, that's the main reason she emphasize on the word.

"What is you problem?" Peyton stood up defensive. She wasn't going to let Rachel treat her friends and future family like crap.

Just then someone else walked towards them, the girl stood right next to Rachel, to everyone's surprise. They never really expected them to be friends, but after the whole thing that happened in the hotel hall, anything was possible.

"Millie" Brooke said cheering up at the sight of her friend.

"Hey" Millie said.

Nathan and Lucas glared at her, which didn't go unnoticed again. They had been doing a lot of that lately, but never explained why.

"What is going on with you two?" Brooke stood up and hit the table with her palms. She wanted answers and she wanted them now.

Haley looked at Nathan with wide eyes. She knew exactly what was going on. But the truth was never given to Brooke. No one ever told her. Haley didn't because she wanted to tell her at the right time. Nathan didn't because it wasn't his place. And Lucas, well, he didn't tell her because he wanted to protect her. But what was about to come out was just going to hurt her.

Haley could take her eyes of Nathan, she really wanted the earth to swallow her alive. She didn't want to be there when it all came crushing down. She remembered how she had acted when Nathan told her that she was right, and that Millie had taken the picture.

_Flashback-_

_After dinner everyone went to their own rooms. Nathan and Haley went to their room and he went straight to change to his pajamas. Haley on the other hand went to the bathroom to wash her face._

_He walked to the bathroom where he found her washing her face, she had just shut off the water and was currently drying her face on a towel. Once she removed the towel she was met with his stare._

_"Why did you have that fight with Rachel and Millie today?" he asked concerned. He only saw part of the fight, but once it was broken she ran towards the room. He knew about Millie, but he wanted to know why Haley had been fighting. The real reason. _

_Haley walked pass him towards the room and sat on one of the beds, she placed her hands on her knees and let out a deep breath. "It was her." The only words she could think of were those, she didn't know how to explain it, how to tell him all about it at the moment. Right then she was so altered, that she knew that she would just brake down if she tried to tell him. _

_"I know."_

_Haley looked up at him in disbelief, she couldn't wrap it around her head. He knew, he knew and never told her. Why would he not tell her. So many things began to run through her head, she really didn't know how to react. She stood up and walked up to him and did the first thing that came to her mind._

_The only thing Nathan felt after she approached him was her hand colliding with his cheek. For such a tiny girl she could sure slap hard. He winced a little then turned back to see her. That's when he saw her. She had tears down her face and her hands held her mouth. She looked like she didn't even believe that all of that had just happened._

_"I'm sorry" she whispered, "I'm so sorry."_

_"Hey, it's okay" he walked over to her. He hugged her and hoped that she could calm down. _

_"How did you know? When did you find out? Why didn't you tell me?" All the questions came out at once, and they all sounded like she was so hurt he never had mentioned any of it. _

_Nathan tighten his grip when he felt her stir, he knew she wanted to go, but he wasn't going to let her go without telling her the truth. "Just now. Millie told me, she said she was sorry and that she never thought that Rachel would use it that way."_

_Haley let out a sob of relief, she at least knew that Nathan hadn't lied to her. "Why?" she questioned over and over again._

_Nathan didn't have the answers, but he did the only thing he could think of. He was there, he was there holding her and helping her get through it. He slowly reached to his drawer, making sure not to move to fast so that she would get scared or anything. He slowly pulled out the picture he had put with his clothe and handed it to her._

_"Here."_

_Haley took the picture and held it close to her. The picture that had been used on the cover of the paper. The picture she loved so much, and held so many memories for her and her sister. _

_"Thank you."_

_Flashback over-_

Although she knew her reaction wasn't all that bad, it still had some hurt and pain to it. She really didn't want her sister to go through that. More knowing that Brooke was over the top dramatic, she would make the whole thing into a big deal.

"You know something about this." She pointed to Haley knowing that Haley did. She could read her sister like a book.

Haley just sat there with her eyes wide open. She didn't know what to do or say.

"She didn't tell you?" Rachel asked with an evil tone. She was all about the drama. And she wasn't going to stop now. Her plan was to make Brooke miserable and she was getting closer and closer.

"Tell me what?" Brooke asked Rachel, she then turned to her sister "Haley" she warned.

"Brooke I'm sorry. I was going to tell you, I just. I was waiting for the right time." Haley now had tears going down her cheeks. It wasn't many, but she still had some.

"What are you talking about?" Brooke had some mix between understandment and hurt. She got that Haley wanted to protect her, but it hurt that she never told her. Whatever it was.

"That it was your friend _Millie _who took the picture" Rachel said. "You know, the one where you're both dressed the same. With matching pink dresses, and there is tons of dolls around you. I think you were at a park." Rachel stopped in between sentences to give her time to take it all in, that way it would hurt Brooke more. "Can you believe that your sister never told you that?" Rachel placed her hand on her chest.

"Brooke, I'm sorry I-" Millie began to say.

"Shut up!" Brooke yelled at her. She really didn't want to hear any of her excuses. "I can't believe you did that. Not after I took you in, I treated you like a sister." She then turned to Haley, "and you" she pointed, "you are my sister. I can't believe you didn't tell me this. I can't believe you kept something like this from me. You. The one person that's suppose to be there for me no matter what."

"I am"

"No!" Brooke eyes began to water and she could feel just a few tears falling down her face, "you lied to me. You are just like them" she pointed to Rachel and Millie "a laying bitch."

"Brooke" Haley tried to talk to her sister, but Brooke wasn't taking any of it.

"Don't." With that she grabbed her bag and walked out of the café. All she wanted was to be alone. She knew no one would understand what she was going through at the moment.

"Wow. She's quite the drama queen" Rachel joked. Which earned her a few glares from the rest of the people on the table.

Haley stood up to go after her sister, but walked back to the table first. There was one thing she wanted to do before she went looking for the most important person in her life.

"What? Did you forget –" Rachel was cut of by a very small fist colliding with her eye.

Once she had hit Rachel, Haley turned around and walked out of the café. The only thing she wanted was to find her sister.

"Haley wait!" she heard someone shout as she walked down the street. She turned to see who it was, only to find both Lucas and Nathan running to her. She could see the concern in their faces. Not far behind them were Peyton and Jake, who also looked pretty worried.

"I have to find her" she whispered when they reached her.

"Wait" Lucas order, "let me. She's mad at you, and she might not want to see you. Just let me talk to her first" Lucas tried to reason with her, and somehow it was working. He didn't know she would let him have it so easily.

"She's my sister."

"I know" Lucas said.

"Hales, I think you should let him talk to her. He can help. Trust me." Nathan placed both his hand on her shoulders trying to make her understand.

"He's really good with words" Peyton said from her spot. She was standing just a few steps behind with Jake.

"I can't"

"Haley" Jake said firmly, "she's hurt. And she thinks it's your fault. Just let Lucas talk to her. I'm sure he can make her reason. You know how she is. She's just going to close herself of further if you pressure her to talk to you."

Haley simply nodded and walked over to her boyfriend who was waiting for her with open arms.

Lucas gave them a nod and began to walk. He needed to get to her, and he needed to find her fast.

* * *

Brooke ran as fast as she could, the only thing she wanted was to get home and curled into a ball. She didn't want to know about anything. All she wanted was the pain to go away. The hurt, the betrayal, the anger, the sadness, the disappointment, all of it. She just wanted it all to go.

She ran in the house and saw it. There it was. The one place she had never touched in the house. The only reason she never touched it was because she knew that Jake's parents would flip out if they saw her or any of them drinking. She walked over to the little bar they had and looked at the bottles. She examined every single one of them. As much as she thought about it, she knew that it would be going to far.

Brooke thought about it a little longer and remembered that she was all alone, so why not try it out. It wouldn't be the first time she had a drink, but it would be the first time she would do it alone. Javier and Becky were out of state so she would have time to replace the bottle. And Haley and Jake weren't home, she obviously knew why.

She pulled out a bottle of vodka and put it in her purse, she looked around just to make sure no one saw her. Once she felt safe she ran up the stairs and locked herself in her room. She didn't want to hear about anything. All she wanted was to drown her pain, and the vodka would do just that.

* * *

They all watched as Lucas had ran off after Brooke. As much as they wanted to go with him, they knew that it would be best to let him handle it for now.

Jake didn't think Lucas would be able to handle it all that well, he thought that he might be able to help. In a way, he was there when she did it at a young age.

"Can you take me home?" Haley asked. She wanted more then anything to talk to her sister, and to make her understand that she did it for her best.

Nathan pulled the girl to his side. "Let's go" he said and lead her to the car.

"We'll walk" Jake said to Nathan. He knew that Nathan had something up his sleeve.

Nathan nodded to them and lead Haley over to his car. Once they reached the car he opened the passenger door for her, she slid in and put her seatbelt on once she was inside. Nathan closed her door and walked around to the driver side.

After buckling his seatbelt he let out a sigh and turn to face her. "I can't take you home" he said sweetly. He really wanted her to understand that she shouldn't push Brooke. He turned the car on and began driving.

"Where are you taking me?" She was mad, mad that h wasn't doing what she asked.

Nathan said nothing. He kept his eyes on the road and drove.

"Nathan!" she nudged. She was getting angrier by the minute. He was driving and driving, and never said a word to her.

He glimpsed at her quickly, then turned his vision back to the road. "I can't let you go see her."

"What?... Why?"

"She's hurt Haley. If you try and talk to her, she's just going to say thing that will _hurt you_. You need to give her time."

"Please" she begged, "I just want to see her, make sure she's okay. I know my sister, and I know she's going to do something crazy."

"Haley, I can't." With that he brought the car to a stop. He turned to face her and began to speak again. "Please, just let me help you. I know what I'm doing." And he did. He had been through enough in his life, and disappointment was at the top of the list.

Haley nodded and turned to see where they were. The place was place very familiar to her. She had been there almost everyday, but never expected to take this long to reach it. "Why did it take you so long to get here?"

"I wanted you to relax first" he admitted.

They both got out of the car and walked towards the beach, the one place were they would always let go of everything. It didn't matter what they were going through, this place always healed them.

* * *

"How is she?" Jake asked running in his house.

Lucas shook his head, he really didn't have good news. "She won't answer the door. I'm really worried."

"How long have you been trying to talk to her?" Peyton was just as concerned as the rest, she really wanted to know what her friend was feeling.

"About thirty minutes or so, I don't know" he shook his head in frustration.

"Luke, calm down." Jake wanted so much to have the situation under control, but so far everything seemed to be to much for him. "I'll go talk to her." He left up the stairs.

Both Lucas and Peyton stood there watching how Jake disappeared to find Brooke.

Jake knew he wasn't going to get much out of her, but just getting her to open the door would be enough. He marched to her door and knocked it gently. Looking at his furious face, you would've never guessed he would be so gentle to the door. "Brooke, it's me. Open up please."

He wasn't getting any response, and he was definitively not liking that. "Brooke, come on. I know you're in there. Just talk to me." He was getting worried that she didn't answer.

After trying for what felt hours he finally saw the door crack. He couldn't see her there, but she was most certainly the one who opened the door. Without thinking it twice he got up and ran in the room closing the door behind him.

"Why are you drinking?" He asked noticing the empty bottle of Vodka on the floor.

She knew the rules, why would she brake them. She and Haley were always ones to follow the rules. They never did things that would get them in trouble, and never tried to get others in trouble. He didn't understand why she would start now. She knew that it was prohibited in the house, yet she still had drank the whole bottle.

Brooke shrugged and sat at the end of the bed. The whole situation still hadn't sunk in. She still wasn't aware that she had drank a whole bottle of Vodka. But she knew that whatever it was she did helped the pain, because she was feeling less and less of it as it worked it's way through her system.

"Talk to me, honey."

"I…" she had no words, as much as she wanted to speak she had nothing to say.

"Brooke."

"I… need a bathroom" she ran to the bathroom. and began discarding all of the vodka, or at least part of it.

Jake ran after her and held her hair. He wasn't much of a drinker, but he had done it a few times. And he knew how horrible it felt to puke, and to feel like the whole world was spinning.

"I need a shower" was all she said.

Jake understood what she was saying. Pretty much that she wanted him to leave. He got up and walked to her room, then out the door. He felt relieved that she was okay, in a way. Yet, he knew that he would have to talk to Haley and Lucas so that they can watch her. Drinking was not an option in the house, and he would do anything to prevent it.

**Thanks for reading, and don't forget to tell me what you though about the chapter. =D**


	37. The Beginning of a Long Night

**Thanks to all the reviews on the last chapter, I hope you guys like this one. Oh, Ummm. I forgot to tell you. I will be updating all my stories on a certain day. This story belongs to Mondays, so most new chapters will be on Mondays (not that there is many left).**

**Thanks to all the reviews-**

**_Dianehermans- Lucas will be there, but for now Brooke is shutting down. _**

**_KTxx - Brandon is here, even if it is just at the end. But there will be plenty of him in the next chapter, as well as an appearance from Dan._**

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- This chapter ran short, because I really wanted to cut it a normal place and not in the middle of a conversation, but the next will have the rest of the party. _**

**_OTHfan1- Love Naley, and there is some in this chapter. But on the next chapter there will be some ass kicking by Nathan._**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- I know, so sad. But the girls will fix their patch. =D_**

**_Poppy- Not at all. I'm glad you reviewed, and I love that you spoke your mind. I'm not one of those people who get's mad when people tell me what they think, well sometimes, but I have to agree with you. I guess it's because it's all leading to this party which will probably take two more chapters. Thanks so much for telling me what you thought. And don't hesitate to tell me if you don't like anything about it. I love to hear what people hate, just as much as what they love. ;)_**

**SORRY THAT THIS CHAPTER RAN SHORT GUYS, BUT I WANT TO HAVE A GOOD STARTING FOR THE NEXT. AND IT HAS MORE DRAMA. BECAUSE THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A LONG NIGHT. _  
_**

**chapter 37-**

"Come on, she'll be fine." Nathan was getting really tired of Haley. She never wanted to go out, she didn't want to do anything because she didn't want to leave her sister. Sister who wouldn't even say hello when she saw her, or even a smile. This was driving him insane. He loved Haley, but he hated that she was always acting like Brooke was her child instead of her sister, she always took care of her in a deep way.

"I can't" she said.

"Haley, it's my party. You have to be there."

"Fine" she said giving in to his puppy eyes. The boy knew exactly how to work her with those eyes.

"I'll pick you up tonight, and pack some clothes. I don't want you driving when all those drunk kids are out there" he spanked her but and walked out the door. Leaving her with a grin and running up the stairs to pack a bag as she had been told.

"So a party?"

There they were, the first words Brooke had crossed with Haley since she found out about the picture.

Haley looked at her sister, who was had clearly been drinking. "are you drunk?"

"Where is the party at?"

"Nathan's beach house. Brooke, what are you drinking?"

Brooke shrugged and ran back to her room, she really didn't feel like explaining anything to her sister. She was hurt and she was drowning her pain in alcohol, and so far it had helped.

A very worried Haley walked to her room and packed her bag, but wasn't very successful since she was worrying about her sister. It had been days since she had seen her, four to be exact. And she looked awful, like she hadn't gotten much sleep. But there was nothing Haley could do, Brooke was just not letting her sister in. And that broke Haley's heart.

* * *

As promised Nathan picked Haley up a few hours later, the party was at his party and he had to be there in time. Haley had left her keys just in case Brooke wanted to drive up there, or Jake for that matter. Not trying to think about her sister any further Haley looked at the window and admired the beautiful scenery, and so far she as loving what she was seeing.

* * *

"You going to the party?" Jake asked walking into her room. It seemed that he was the only person she actually talked to.

Brooke shook her head, "naa, I don't think it's a good idea."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I mean, Lucas."

"What about him?" Jake really didn't get why she was shutting him out, the boy loved her and did everything in his power to show her, but she always seemed to find something wrong. "He loves you, and would really like you to be there." He took a pause, "sober."

Brooke turned to face him quickly, she hated when any one passed judgments on her. "I'm not an alcoholic, Jake."

"I'm just saying that it would be nice for you to go back to who you were. You know, before the whole Millie thing. And to be honest, I really don't get why you're still mad at Haley. I mean, Millie took the picture."

"She lied" she said, hurt obviously on her tone.

"I know, honey. But she's your sister, and she's been there for you through thick and thin. She made one mistake. I just –" Jake was explaining to his younger cousin, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Can I come in?"

Brooke looked up to be found with the most beautiful blue eyes she had seen, eyes that she thought she would never see again after the way she had been treating him. She loved those eyes, hell she loved the boy who owned the eyes. But she had no words at the moment, she just stared.

Lucas walked in and signaled to Jake that he wanted to be with her alone, Jake quickly caught up with the situation and left the room giving his cousin a quick kiss on the forehead. Lucas then processed to sit next to her on the bed, in hope that she would speak.

"Hey."

"Hey" she said turning to face him, she was so broke she didn't expect him to want to stay.

"What's wrong, Brooke?" He wanted to know so bad what she had been doing, why she had been doing it, and why wasn't she letting him in.

"I'm sorry" she choked, she really was sorry, but just didn't know how to begin to apologize for the past days.

"Brooke, I love you, and I'm going to be here, whether you like it or not. I'm always going to be here for you." Lucas held her tight to him and try to embrace her as tight as he could, but she was putting up a fight. After a few punches later she calmed down and allowed him to hold her, to just be there with her, for her.

"I'm sorry" she let out again.

"It's okay, you'll be okay." He rubbed her back and sweet talked her to help her calm down.

* * *

The party had began, everyone was there. The beach house was about to bust. There was people everywhere, even outside and on the dock. Everyone celebrating the Raven's great victory, even if it was about a week ago that they had won.

"Is she coming?" Haley asked for what seemed to be the fiftieth time that night. She really wanted to know if her sister would make an appearance. Sure, the girls hadn't been talking lately, and Brooke had been more then rude to her, but Brooke was her little sister and she really wanted her there.

Nathan held his phone on one ear and cover the other one to try and hear what his brother was saying. He could feel Haley walking right behind him, she was so close that if he decided to take a step back he would probably make her fall. But that's what he loved about her, that she was so caring, even when people treated her like crap, she always found the good in it.

He hung up the phone and slowly turned to face the girl behind him, he didn't want to knock her over.

"So?" she asked anxious.

Nathan wanted to keep her waiting for suspense, but the face she was giving him at the moment was not helping him. "They're on their way" he said, then felt her hugging him so tight. He didn't think it was possible for such small girl to hug so tightly, but he returned the hug with no complains.

"Thank you" she said reaching up to his lips, and giving him a quick but passionate kiss.

"Your very" he leaned down and kissed her, "welcome."

She then pulled him to the living room, where people were dancing all around. Something Nathan didn't do, but then again Haley made him do all sorts of things he'd never done. With that they dance along with the rest of the guest, and random people who had shown up.

* * *

"What's wrong? I thought you wanted to come to this party?" Lucas' eyes only left the road to glance at her, but they quickly made their way back. He really didn't understand why she was still frowning, she was the one who wanted to go to the party.

Brooke turned towards him and gave him a fake smile, but tried to make it look genuine. "I did. I do."

"Then what's wrong?"

Brooke just stared out her window, she didn't even know what was wrong with her. All she wanted was to go back to normal, but it seemed that she would never get there.

"Haley's going to be there, and so is Jake." Lucas always trying to make the best of a situation, he really wanted this to be a good party.

"I know. I really need to talk to her."

Brooke had been a total and complete bitch to her sister since she found out about the picture, and it took all this time for her to realize it wasn't Haley's fault. All Haley wanted to do was protect her, but Brooke didn't see it that way through all her anger. But now all she wanted was to tell her sister that she was sorry, and that she understood why Haley kept things in for a while.

Glancing at her Lucas could tell that she was lost in her thoughts, and the last thing he wanted was to interrupt her. With that, he turned back to the road and drove towards his brother's beach house.

XXX

Jake and Peyton had arrived just a few minutes ago, and still they couldn't find the rest of their friends. Peyton pulled Jake along, and hoped that at least one of them would be where she expected. She walked into the kitchen, and not being wrong she found Nathan and Haley both standing around the island with a cup.

"Peyton!" Haley yelled in excitement.

Peyton could already tell the girl had too much to drink, and for her that could've been one beer. Haley just didn't know how to hold her alcohol, but right now she didn't care she was hurting because of her sister, and she was going to have fun and try to forget about the rest of the world.

"Hey you" Peyton said hugging the girl. She was clearly weirder out, Haley had never been so sweet to her.

"How much has she drink" Jake asked like the concerned cousin.

"Not even a beer" Nathan admitted shocked. He really didn't know Haley wouldn't be able to hold her drink.

Jake was also shocked, "seriously?"

Nathan just nodded, then he saw the girl walking over to him and hugging him. One beer was obviously one to many for her. He would never let her drink again. He returned the hug as he held her tight towards him, like a protective bear.

Haley pulled away and kissed him, it wasn't deep kiss, but it was sweet. Something to show him that she loved him, and she would never let him go.

"Hey"

There it was, the voice they hadn't heard in so long. Well that is except for Jake, but the rest hadn't. Brooke stood there next to Lucas, his arm holding her protectively to his side.

"I'm glad you came" Haley walked over to her sister and hugged her, "I love you."

Brooke let a tear fall, she didn't expect to get emotional, but it had been a while since she had actually talked to her sister. "I'm sorry."

Haley pulled away and looked at her sister, at this moment it was the two of them, and it felt as if the rest of the party had disappeared. "For what?"

"being a bitch, it wasn't your fault."

"Come here" Haley said pulling her sister to another hug.

They all stood there as both girls hugged and told each other how sorry they were, and how much they missed each other. And how they would never fight again.

XXX

It had been around three hours since the party had started and people were still arriving. To Brooke misfortune Millie and Julian had arrived about thirty minutes ago, and Brooke had been practically hiding form them. Not to mention that just thinking about Millie made her drink. She had probably had around ten shots, and two beers. For a girl who had been drinking Vodka for the past days that's nothing, but it's a lot when you're not thinking about it.

"There you are." Lucas had been looking for her all around the house, he didn't want anything to happened to her. But it had become a real challenged to keep track of where she was at all times.

Brooke had no words, she just grabbed his hand and led him up the stairs. She was so full of alcohol that she wasn't thinking clearly. Right now all she wanted was to forget about everything, she just wanted to be with her boyfriend and enjoy the rest of the night.

She opened a door and pushed him in, then locked it behind her and walked towards him. She pushed him so that he was on the bed, then she slowly hovered over him. Placing the beer bottle she had on her hand on the night stand she then leaned down and kissed him.

Lucas was shocked, he didn't know what to do. Did he push her? Did he kiss her back? Did he make her stop? So many questions running through his head, and not one could be answered under the circumstances.

Brooke continued to kiss them then began to trail down his neck, all the while she was unbuttoning his shirt.

"Brooke, wait."

"What? Don't you love me?" she asked a little hurt.

"You know I do" he said caressing her cheek.

"Lucas, I want this" she pushed, then kissed him hard and began to work on his pants. She wanted this and there was no way anyone was going to make her stop.

Lucas let her do what she wanted. As much as he wanted to stop her, he wanted this just as much as she did. But he felt he had the need to stop her, he was sober and he knew how she felt about this.

After a few more tries nothing worked with Brooke, she had him laying on his boxer and began to work on undressing herself. Knowing that he wasn't going to win this battle, he began to show her just how much he loved her.

XXX

Back at the party downstairs not much was happening, I mean people were dancing and drinking, but other then that everything seemed to be pretty drama free.

"She's here" Tim said walking up to Nathan.

"Who is?" Nathan asked confuse. Tim always had a way to say thing without explain and leaving people with a big question mark on their faces.

"Rachel"

The name was an unwanted name, the name sent shivers down Nathan's back. "Where?"

"She just walked in, she –"

Not caring what else Tim had to say Nathan walked passed him and began looking for the one person he cared the most, he didn't want her to have any sort of confrontation with Rachel, at least not when she wasn't sober. He looked through the crowd, but there were so many people it was become more and more complicated to find them.

"Hey you" she said sneaking up behind him.

"Oh god, I'm glad you're okay" he said pulling her to a hug.

A very confused Haley pulled away and looked at him, all she wanted was to know what the hell he was talking about.

As if he could read her mind he answered, "Rachel's here."

"Where is the bitch" she said, the only thing she wanted was to kill her for causing all of this.

"Haley, she's no worth it"

"Let me find her" Haley said getting angry, she just wanted to find Rachel and show her just how much she had been hurting because of her.

"Looking for me" the high pitched voice came from behind Haley.

Haley took a deep breath and turned to face the biggest bitch she had ever met, but as she turned around she found that Rachel wasn't alone. Nope, she had someone that could make Nathan go crazy, and if Brooke was there she would have already slapped the guy. That's right, Rachel showed up with the one and only Brandon. The boy who had caused so ,much pain to Haley.

**Thanks for reading and please don't forget to tell me what you think.**

**I wanted to apologize for the crapiness of this chapter, and the length. But I got it up in a hurry, and I am super tired. I already have the first part of the next chapter ready, and I'll try to have it up by next Monday. =D**


	38. The End of a Long Night and a Life

**Thanks to all of you who reviewed last chapter, I'm glad you guys have been liking this story. I just wanted to say that this story will soon come to an end, and maybe later on when I finish one of my other ones I might think about writing a squeal, but that's up to you guys. =D**

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- Thanks for your review, and I know the whole Rachel thing was unexpected, she came out of nowhere. I just needed a way to brink Brandon to the picture._**

**_KTxx- I know you like Brandon a lot, so here is some Brandon for you. I hope you like it. =D_**

**_Dianehermans- Like I said in the PM, it won't be all that bad for Brooke, just wait for the next couple of chapters and the story will be wrapping up. Thanks for reading. =D_**

**_OTHfan1- Totally awesome, Rachel won't be getting much, but I promise she will get what's coming for her. _**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- Thanks, and I love your story. =D_**

**PLEASE ENJOY THIS DRAMA FILLED CHAPTER. ;D**

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chapter 38

"What are you doing here" Haley asked, her tone loud and angry.

"Don't worry Hales, you're still my number one girl."

"In you're dreams" she shot back. Haley knew that if she didn't answer fast enough Nathan would punch the guy, and she really didn't want a fight .

"Always" he teased.

"You two know each other" Rachel asked confused. She really didn't expect a new boy to know the old new girl.

"Yeah" Haley said rudely, she really didn't feel like giving Rachel explanations. All she wanted to know was why he was there. "Why are you here."

"He's my date" Rachel said linking arms with him.

"What are you doing here?" Haley asked.

"Aren't you glad to see me" Brandon said stepping closer to Haley. He was just about to touch her face when he felt a hand push his away.

"Don't touch her" Nathan warned. Last time he had let Brandon off easy, but this time he wouldn't. if the guy did anything that he didn't approve of he would end up rearranging his face.

"What are you going to do about it?" Brandon pushed. He could see that Nathan was bigger then him, and Nathan could clearly beat him.

Nathan took a step forward, but was pushed back by two small hands. He looked down and saw the pleading look in Haley's eyes. "You're lucky" Nathan said pointing at the boy. He then grabbed Haley's hand and pulled her away from them.

"How do you know her?" a very pissed of Rachel said. This was suppose to be about her, and somehow it all turned into one of the James girls. She was really getting tired of those girls, they always managed to take the shine away from her.

"I use to date her" Brandon said bumping her as he walked passed her.

He was there on a mission, to get Haley to forgive him, and to let her know that he still loved her. But it she was always with that guy, and it was driving him insane, he really didn't get why Nathan didn't leave her alone for a minute. Angrily he walked to the kitchen to get himself a drink.

* * *

"What is he doing here?" she kept repeating as they walked around the house, the question was never answered.

Nathan hated to see her like that, she looked like she was a crazy person. She looked scared to look around, like if she saw him he might hurt her. He pulled her to a room and held her shoulders to calm her down. "Haley" he said.

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him, she could see the worry and concern in his eyes and she hated that she was the reason he had that. "I'm sorry" she said letting her head drop on his chest.

"Hey" Nathan soothed brushing her hair with his fingers, "it's not your fault."

"But it is."

"Don't say that. Now let's go have some fun" he said pulling her out of the little closet and taking her straight to the dance floor.

The song was full blast, the room was full of students, and Nathan and Haley were enjoying the night. But it wasn't going to be a this smooth for long. Little did Haley know that right behind her there was a boy dancing, and this boy wasn't any ordinary boy. Nope, it was Brandon.

He waited for the perfect opportunity to continue his plan, he slowly turned and saw her right behind him, and that was his cue. Brandon turned around as fast as he could and grabbed her wrist, which caused Haley to scream.

Nathan noticed that his girlfriend had a terrified face, but she didn't move. He really didn't get why, but somehow he would have to figure it out. "Haley, what's wrong?"

Haley did nothing, and said nothing. She just stood there. She tried to show him with her eyes that Brandon was behind her, but Nathan just wasn't catching on.

"Brandon" Rachel called running towards them, "there you are."

There it was, Nathan understood why Haley was so still. Brandon had on of her hands and was holding her tight, but he didn't know why she didn't fight with the other one. Or why she didn't ask for help.

"Let her go" Nathan order.

"Nathan, don't-" Haley said, she could feel a tear coming from her eyes.

"Haley."

"Please" she begged, "just let it go, I'll be fine."

"NO!" Nathan yelled angry and took a step towards her, but was quickly stopped by Brandon.

Brandon held the gun firmly in front of Nathan, he wasn't afraid to shoot. He was there on a mission to tell the girl that he loved her, and he wasn't leaving until that was done. When Haley had left with Nathan, everything was complicated. The only way he could make her listen was with the gun, he had no option.

"Dude" Nathan said backing up.

"You have a gun!" Rachel said a little to loud.

That was the cue for everyone to turn and see what was going on, the music stopped and so did everyone else. Brandon didn't want to have so much attention drawn towards him, but it seemed that it was too late for that. He held up his gun, "everybody out" he yelled. He then pointed the gun to Haley's head, "everybody out." People started running towards every door, they didn't care how they got out as long as they did.

Nathan stood there and watch as everyone ran out of his house, and how all sorts of things were left behind. There was purses, jackets, cell phones, cups, beer bottles, and anything you could imagine people leaving behind. He was actually surprise to not see his brother or Brooke ran out the door.

"You stay" Brandon said pointing at Nathan with the gun, "you too" he pointed to Jake.

Peyton and Rachel just stood there. Peyton wasn't going to leave them in there, they were her friends and her boyfriends, they were practically her family.

"You two" he pointed to both girls, "go."

"No" Peyton said firmly.

You didn't have to tell Rachel twice, the girl ran like the wind.

"I said go."

"No" Peyton repeated.

"GO" he said between his teeth and held the gun to Haley's head.

"Peyton, please go" Haley begged, "please."

"No Haley, I can't –"

"Just go damn it!" Brandon yelled cutting Peyton off, then he pulled the trigger causing a bullet to go through the ceiling.

Peyton ran out the door with tears down her eyes, she didn't want to go, but she also didn't want one of her friends to die because she was being stubborn.

Nathan and Jake just stood there watching Brandon, the boy looked full of hate. They could also see Haley crying like that was her last day on earth.

* * *

Brooke and Lucas were laying in bed covered with a sheet. As much as Brooke had drunken she felt like the most sober person on earth when she was with Lucas. Feeling him inside her felt great, she felt like it was the best day of her life. He had been so nice and caring through it all, and he was very worried that she wanted to do it. He didn't want to push her towards anything she didn't want to do.

"I love you" Lucas said when he felt her get up.

Brooke wrapped the sheet around her body and walked around the room picking up her clothe. The smile on her face growing with each passing second. She had felt so alive with him. She thought that what she needed to feel alive again was a wake up call, and thought that she would find it in alcohol. But the truth was that it was closer then she thought, the answer was love. As long as she was with people who loved her, she would be alive and happy.

She smiled at him and began to put her clothes on, "You better get dress, I don't want people looking for us and finding us like this."

"What's wrong with this?" he asked, but he also listened to her. He stood up and began to get dress.

The question triggered something in Brooke, _what's wrong with this?_ There was actually many things wrong with it, even if to her it was magical.

She sat on the bed and began to put her shoes on, then she heard people screaming. She looked back at Lucas who shrugged his shoulders. With that she opened the door and stepped outside, all she could hear was people screaming and running. Brooke was now scared, the next thing she heard was a shot. She turned to look at Lucas and her eyes widen.

The shot she had heard had gone up, and somehow it hit Lucas' chest. She cold see the blood staining his shirt. The guilt was driving her insane, she was sure that this was all her fault. If she had waited till marriage like she had promised her father this wouldn't had happened. She felt so guilty, but guilt wasn't going to help them.

"Brooke" Lucas said softly.

Brooke ran to the boy now laying on the floor, and blood just seemed to keep on coming. She touched his wound and saw Lucas flinch. Brooke didn't know what to do, she wasn't the doctor type of girl. She started to breath in and out trying to calm her nerves, it was the first thing that popped into her mind. O

"Okay" she said, "you stay here, I'll be right back."

Lucas grabbed her arm and she turned to face him again, "I love you" he said softly. If this were his last minutes, he wanted her to know how he felt about her.

"Lucas, you'll be okay. I promise" she said, she could feel the tears coming so she decided to go.

Brooke took her shoes of and walked as quiet as she could to the bathroom across the hall, she grabbed as many towels as she could and a first aid kit she saw under the sink. She slowly and quietly walked back to the room. Locking the door behind her she ran to Lucas and placed a towel on his wound.

"Lucas you have to stay with me" she said holding his hand. "I promise help will be here soon, but you have to stay with me. Please."

Lucas nodded, he was hurting, but he would do anything for the girl kneeling next to him.

Brooke pulled out her phone and tried to google how to help him, she also called 911 and told them she needed and ambulance, and that there was a shooter downstairs. She didn't know who was down there, but she really hoped that her sister was fine.

She read a few instructions and followed them, she wrapped a sheet around hand and tide it as tight as she could, she had also bandaged the place were the bullet hit so no more blood came out, but it was impossible, the blood still came.

"Lucas, help is coming" she assured him, "please stay with me."

Lucas simply nodded, "call Nathan."

Brooke held his head, which was now resting on her legs and reached for her phone. She decided that she would be calling Haley first, it was her sister and she really wanted to make sure that she was okay.

* * *

"Brandon" Haley said in a mere whisper.

Brandon leaned down and reached her ear, "what's wrong baby?"

Haley could feel his breath on her neck, and as much as she wanted to push him away she wasn't going to risk all of their lives.

"My phone" she said through her sobs.

Brandon reached to her pockets and grabbed the phone, he handed it to her. "Don't tell her anything, or I'll kill you."

"Hello" Haley said trying to sound composed.

_"Haley? Where are you? Please tell me you're okay, please. Where is Nathan?" Brooke was going off like a bomb, she was asking all her questions at once. She just wanted to get all her worries out of the way and just focus on Lucas. _

''Brooke, calm down" she said, "I'm fine, and Nathan's with me."

_"He's shot Haley, it's all my fault" Brooke said with new tears coming down, "I did this, he might die and it's all my fault."_

"Lucas?" Haley asked worried, "is he okay?"

"What's wrong with him?" Nathan asked taking a step forward, but quickly backed up when the gun was turned to him.

_"I don't know, I call the police. There is a shooter. Please tell me you're okay."_

Brandon moved the gun to the phone signaling that her time was up, "Brooke, honey. I'll call you right back, Nathan needs something, I'll tell him about Lucas so he can go check on him" Haley lied.

Haley was never a good liar, but Brooke didn't ask any questions. At the moment she was so concerned with what was happening that worrying if her sister was lying or not became a minor issue. She hung up the phone and turned back to Lucas who was looking at her.

"Brandon, it's me you want. Just let everyone else go" Haley begged, right now all she cared about was her sister's safety.

"What did she say?" he demanded.

"She just wanted to know if I was okay" Haley said.

"Don't lie to me Haley" he said pulling her hair, "what was all that about a Lucas?"

"I don't know, she was crying to much, I couldn't understand her" she lied.

Brandon turned her around so that she was facing him, that when he slapped her as hard as he could. "Don't lie to me. I know when you're lying."

"HEY!" Nathan yelled and walked over to him.

Brandon quickly turned to Nathan and pulled the trigger again, but this time it only hit a vase.

"Stop!" Haley yelled.

"Sit." Brandon pushed her to the couch and made sure she wasn't moving.

* * *

"Brooke, Nathan's here" Lucas said when he heard his brother yelling. What he didn't say was that he also heard Haley. Brooke was too worried about Lucas to pay attention to anything else going on around them.

"What?" she asked through her tears.

"You need to go get him, I need him to take me to the hospital."

"The shooter's here, Lucas."

She was right. Right after she said that there was the second shot. Brooke held her mouth so that a scream wouldn't give out their hiding.

"You have to go" Lucas said, "go out the window."

"No" she said, "I won't leave you. I'm sure help is coming."

"Brooke, I need you to be safe. I want you to be safe."

Brooke felt more tears fall down her cheeks. Lucas was probably the only boy who made her cry with his words, they were just so full of love and they were full of meaning.

* * *

The police had arrived only a few minutes ago, and already they had the whole house surrounded. The swat was also there, and obviously Dan Scott was there. He was actually worried about both his sons, but his main concerned obviously fell on Nathan.

"The call we got said that their was one shooter downstairs" the officer said informing Dan.

"My sons are in there, I need to know what else is going on" Dan demanded.

"Sir, we only arrived here a few minutes ago. We have the house surrounded, and we will be sending the swat in, in a minutes."

"How many kids are in there?" Dan asked. He really didn't need this. He didn't need people talking about the shooting that went down in the Scott beach house, and he most certainly didn't need any of those kids dying.

"Well the call we got said that a Lucas Scott was shot, and he's with a girl in one of the rooms upstairs. But she really didn't say much about the rest of the house."

"What room?" Dan asked.

"We don't know that yet , sir. But I'm sure you'll be informed when we know." With that the officer walked towards a screen they had that was tracking movement in the house.

* * *

The lights flashed through the windows, Brooke didn't know what to do. She wasn't sure if she should go and let them know she was in that room, or if she stay hiding. She was so confused, but something in her told her to just let them know. Call what you want, but to her it was her parents telling her that she needed to save the boy that was dying next to her. She walked to the window and open the curtain, she slowly opened the door so that it didn't make any noise. Once that was done she poked her head out and motioned with her hands that she was there.

"We have one" she heard some call down there.

She kept waving her hands and then felt a light hit her face, she covered her face with her hand and heard them talking amongst themselves.

Pretty soon somehow one of the paramedics had climbed up there with a stretcher, he told her that he would need her help, and that hey would be sliding him down the window.

Brooke didn't know if that would be safe, but she knew that it would probably be way safer then being in a house with a guy who was trying to kill them.

"Okay, I need you to help me get him on this" the boy said.

Brooke nodded and waited for him to instruct her. Once Lucas was laying on the stretcher the boy began to tie him securely, she really didn't know how or why, but she didn't care as long as Lucas was safe.

"Okay, I'll pick him up and place him out the window. I need you to pull this tightly so he doesn't fall" the boy said handing her a rope.

The rope wrapped two times around the pole on the bed, all she had to do was pull and Lucas would be safe. She nodded and the boy walked with Lucas to the window.

"Okay, I'm letting him go" he said, he let go of Lucas and walked back to Brooke who was having a really hard time holding on to the rope. "That was great" he said, he then took the rope form her and let him down slowly.

After Lucas reached the bottom paramedics ran to him and placed him on another stretcher. The boy, Liam then pulled the stretcher were Lucas had been on previously back up so that Brooke could let down.

Brooke sat on the stretcher and began to go down, Liam letting her go down slowly. When she reached the bottom he climbed out the window, and hoped that no on had heard them.

* * *

Haley was sitting on the spot were Brandon had order, she wasn't going to risk anything. At this moment she could see the police lights outside and she was clearly scared, she thought that this was it so she began to speak. "Nathan" she said through her tears.

Brandon turned to her, "shut up!"

"Just let me say this" she pleaded, "please." When she saw Brandon nod she continued, "Nathan."

"yeah" he said scared of what her next words would be.

"I love you, and I would never want anything bad to happen to you."

"I know" he said taking a step towards her, but again took it back when Brandon pointed at him.

"It's okay" Haley said looking at Brandon, "I promise we won't do anything. Just let them come."

Brandon felt bad for causing all of this, and her really didn't know why he had began all of this in the first place. He turned form Haley to the two boys standing on her opposite side and motioned with the gun for them to go next to her.

Both boys did as told, and they sat on each of her sides so that she was in the middle.

Haley turned to Jake and smiled, "Jake. You know I love you, you're my cousin and you've always been there for me. But I really need you to be there for Brooke. You are the only one that knows what she's been through, and how she acts. You are also the only other person who can get her out of her funk, and help her get over things. Please help her get over this, I know you know how." Haley could feel her tears down her face and touch her hands when they fell, "please tell Brooke I love her." She then leaned to her cousin and hugged him.

"I love you" Jake whispered to her during their hug.

Haley pulled away and wiped away her tears, then she turned to the other side and looked at the boy she loved. She gave him a weak smile. "Hey."

"Haley, you can't do this."

"Please" she said, "let me save you. You're always there, and you're always saving me. I just want you to be okay, and I want you to be safe and to play basketball like you want. I love that you're so protective, but I need you to protect yourself this time."

"No, I won't let you go" he said.

"Please, just do this. Please. I need you safe to take care of Brooke, and you need to be there for Lucas."

"Haley, I can't do that –"

"POLICE, RAISE YOUR HANDS!" That was it, the police and swat came running in the house looking for the shooter.

Jake stood up and held his hands up like he was told. Nathan on the other hand jumped on Haley and covered her so that Brandon didn't have a target of her. He would give his life for her, and that was just what he was doing.

"I'll shoot" Brandon threaten waving the gun around.

His little gun was nothing to the swat and police man who were surrounding them at the moment. Haley couldn't see anything, the only thing she could see was Nathan's shirt. She grabbed the shirt and pulled him down to her to feel safe, not that having a guy on top of you blocking whatever it was that was happening out there wasn't.

"Put the gun down son" one of the officers said.

Brandon didn't want to go to jail, "I can't" he said, his voice braking.

"Don't" one of the officers said, and the next thing that was heard was another shot.

Haley couldn't see anything that was happening, all she felt was Nathan on her dropping heavily. She feared that it was him who was shot, but she could see and it was impossible to push him off.

The shot went off and Jake ran out the door, all he wanted was to know that his girlfriend and younger cousin were fine. He knew that Haley was fine, and that Nathan would be there for her.

Brooke stood there with Peyton hugging each other and trying to sooth each other. At least they knew that Lucas was on his way to the hospital, they only had to worry about Jake, Haley, and Nathan now. It wasn't a small number, but it wasn't as big as four.

"Thank god you're fine" Jake said hugging both girls and holding on as tight as he could. He had just had a near death experience, and he was just thank full that he only had two people to worry about now. Although he really didn't have to worry about Haley, she was more then safe under Nathan.

The girls hugged him back, and let their tears fall.

**I know it's a crappy place to cut it, but I just wanted to give you something to come back. The next chapter should be up next Monday, but if I feel inspired before that who know it might be up sooner. **

**Thanks for reading and don't forget to tell me what you think.**


	39. It's Love NOT Married

**Thanks to all the reviews, and I am really really reall sorry this chapter took so long to be up. I've just been watching the soccer games, and been really distracted, but here it is. **

**OTHfan1- Thanks for your review.**

**JustLikeBrookeDavis- thanks for your review, and I know it's been a really long time since we've talked. how are your stories coming, and how was VEGAS?**

**KTxx- thanks for the review, Dan will actually be in the next on. and yes Brandon did want to kill her because she didn't want to be with him. Thanks**

**Dianehermans- THanks so much for your reviews, you rock =D**

**Haley Elizabeth James- hahah I will love to have you kill himhahaha. =D**

**OTHfan1- SOrry about this, like I said I've been distracted with the whole FIFA thing, but I am back now, and the next chapter should be way better than this one. =D**

**Chapter 39-**

Brooke sat there waiting, doing the one thing she hated the most in the world. Never did she think she would be in this position. People who she loved were being treated, and all she could do was wait. Tears ran down her cheeks as she didn't know what to do, who to call, and how to react to everything that was happening. If her parents were alive she would at least have someone to rely on, someone to be there for her.

She held her face between her hands and let out a desperate sigh.

"They'll be fine" he said leaning closer and holding her tightly.

Brooke lifted her head, "how do you know?"

"The doctors said" he told her, "the bullet didn't hit any of them in a dangerous place, all the have to do is remove it."

" I can't loose him, or her, any of them" she said desperate, her sobs coming faster and faster.

"You wont" he reassured her. He was sure that nothing would happened to them, he had to have faith. He needed the faith. Two of the most important people in his life were there. Nathan didn't know what he would do if something happened to Lucas. But then there was Haley, the love of his life. The guilt he felt knowing that it was her in there and not him killed him, if only he had covered her better. The bullet was unexpected, and he never thought it would hit her.

"Nathan." The sadness in Brooke's voice couldn't be avoided, every time she spoke it was through sobs.

Nathan looked at the girl in his arms, he could see the pain in her eyes. He was sure the same pain could be seen in his. They both had people they loved being treated, and they were both related to one of them.

"What if they're not? What will I do? How will I live? Oh god" Brooke grabbed her face again and her tears took the best of her.

Nathan shooshed her and rubbed her back, he just wanted her to fell better. Even if he was dying inside.

"Scott" the doctor said waking into the waiting room.

Nathan stood up with Brooke right by his side. He and Brooke were the only ones there along with Peyton and Jake. Karen and Keith weren't there yet, but they had been reached and informed about everything.

"How is Lucas?" Brooke asked desperately.

The doctor gave a single nod, "he's better, he's still unconscious, but you are more then welcome to visit him. The bullet didn't hit any nerves, luckily. He's a very lucky boy."

"Can we go now?" Brooke asked, she had waited enough, and she was more then ready to see him.

"Yes" the doctor said nodding.

"How's Haley?" she asked. Just because Lucas was out of trouble didn't mean she forgot all about her sister.

The doctor looked at Haley's chart and back to the teens in front of him. "She's lost a lot of blood, but they managed to get her fixed. Her bullet hit her pressure point, that's why so much blood had been lost."

"Does she need some?"

"No" the doctor said, "she's good, they're just finishing with her arm. I'll have a nurse let you know when you can see her." He received a nod from the teens then he left.

"You should go" Nathan said, "he would want to see you."

"You're his brother" she pointed out, but there was more to that then she let on.

Nathan nodded and walked to the nurse who was waiting to take him.

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There was much more to Brooke not wanting to go than Nathan being his brother. She still didn't know why she had slept with him, sure it was the best thing that she had ever experienced, but she couldn't shake the guilt off her. She remembered the day she told her dad that she would wait till marriage, but now it was too late.

Why was all this happening to her. People knowing about he background. Her boyfriend and sister in a hospital. Feeling the guilt of doing something you promised not to do. And so much more. Brooke didn't understand why all this had been happening to her.

"Ms. James."

Brooke's thoughts were interrupted by a nurse walking up to her, she turned to face the nurse and waited for her to continue.

"You can go see your sister now."

Brooke gave a weak smile, it was genuine but weak. She then followed the nurse to her sister's room.

She walked in the room and immediately felt the guilt again. Looking at her sister laying on a hospital bed with IV and oxygen did it for her. Brooke believed that somehow this was her punishment for having sex with Lucas. Two of the people she loved the most had been almost taken for her, and she was sure it was her fault.

Brooke was standing by the door looking at her sister. Tears coming down her eyes as a flood.

"Hey Brookie" Haley managed to say. She was still lightheaded, but she didn't care about her pain if she was with her sister. The one person she feared about losing, and she was glad that Brooke was safe.

"I'm sorry" Brooke said between sobs.

Haley patted a side next to her for her sister to sit.

"It's all my fault, I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about?" Haley knew she had passed out, but she was sure she didn't have a concussion.

"It's my fault you're here, you and Lucas…"

"Lucas is here?" Haley asked panicked, "is Nathan?" The worried was so noticeable in her expression.

Brooke nodded.

Haley gasped, "what happened?"

Brooke shook her head, her sister had misinterpreted what she said. "Lucas was shot, but Nathan is just visiting him. He wanted to see you, but Lucas was out before you."

"Why aren't you with him?"

Brooke let out another sob of guilt, "because it's my fault he's here."

"How so?" Haley didn't understand, she also didn't know what her sister had done. Brooke had only apologized and said that it was her fault, but it couldn't possibly be her fault. No one could have seen Brandon bringing a gun.

Brooke said nothing, all she did was look down in shame.

"Brooke?" Haley was starting to get worried, what could have been so horrible that Brooke had done? Brooke lifted her head to look at her sister. "What did you do?" Haley asked concerned.

Brooke let out a sob, she knew that she had to tell Haley sooner or later. She took a deep breath and began to speak. "At the party. Umm, Lucas and I… Umm, we slept together."

"You did?"

Brooke nodded, a fresh batch of tears coming down. "That's why all of this happened, it's all my fault."

"Brooke, don't say that. It's not your fault."

"Yes it is" Brooke said loudly, "I promise dad I wouldn't do it till marriage, and there goes slutty my sleeping with Lucas. Not to mention all that happened because I did it. It's god's way of punishing me for disobeying my father."

"Brooke, it's not your fault."

"You haven't done it, that's why you don't know what I feel" Brooke shot back. She hated that Haley only saw the good in people, especially her. Everyone had evil and flaws, and she needed her sister to see hers.

Haley said nothing, all she could do was remember the magical night she had with Nathan. A night she will never forget, and hoped that she never would forget.

"have you?"

Haley nodded.

"When?"

"It's not important, what is important is why you keep blaming yourself. Brooke, when did you promise dad that?"

"What?"

"That you wouldn't have sex till marriage?"

"he told us, when he gave us the heart on our bracelets. Remember?" Brooke didn't know how Haley could have ever forgotten that.

Haley shook her head, "he never said that."

"yes he did."

"No, Brooke. He said that we should lock our hearts and give it to the right person. He never said anything about waiting till marriage."

"But.."

"No buts." Haley was hating the fact that her little sister felt that guilt. "Did you do it for love?"

Brooke looked at her sister and nodded, "yeah."

"Then there is nothing to feel guilty about, you gave him all of you. And dad would have liked that." Haley was sure that her dad wouldn't mind that Brooke had slept with Lucas, she was sure he would know how much Lucas loved Brooke.

Brooke nodded and stood up, "I think I should go see him now."

Haley nodded, she knew how much her sister loved Lucas, and she wasn't going to come between them. She was well and there was really nothing dangerous going on with her. She really didn't need Brooke to stay around.

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"So you did it?" Nathan asked, he still couldn't believe that he had beat his brother to the punch. Brooke always looked like she would have given it up before Haley, but he was wrong.

Lucas nodded proudly. He still remember the way her skin felt, the way she tasted. He pretty much remembered everything about the previous night. He just wished that the stupid gunshot wouldn't have ruined their special moment.

"Hey guys."

Both boys were startled as Brooke walked in the room. Lucas could tell that she had been crying, her eyes were bloodshot red, and puffy as can be.

"Hey" he said smiling, "how are you?"

"I should be asking you that" she said with a small chuckle.

Lucas was loving her little smile, it was much , but it was something. "Come here" he said tapping the bed next to him.

Brooke walked over to him and sat right next to him .

"I'll go" Nathan said pointing to the door behind him with his thumb.

"What's wrong?" Lucas took a good look at his girlfriend, he could tell that there had been something bothering her, and it was more then him and Haley being in a hospital.

Brooke lifted her head to face him, "I'm really glad you're okay."

"Me too" he half joked. All he wanted was to lift her spirits, which for some reason seemed to be touching the floor. "So, what's really wrong?" he asked when he saw that she didn't laugh or at least smile at his joke.

"I love you" she said, hoping that after that there would be no more questions.

"I love you too" he said and moved closer to her, he didn't care about the pain he had on chest. He kissed her and pulled away. He loved to kiss her, and more so knowing that he might had never been able to kiss her again.

They both sat with each other, but none really talking, or even wanting to tell the other what they were thinking. Brooke was still having her guilt thoughts, and Lucas, well he was just glad to have her there. But he really didn't want to say something that would scare her off. he was just glad the girl he loved was safe and with him.

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Nathan made his way through the hall in hopes of talking to the person he had been waiting to see all day, he just hoped she was awake. He knew that there was a slight chance she wasn't, she was tired from it all. It was late, probably around two or three in the morning. He would understand if she was sleeping. He cracked the door and poked his head in slowly, if she was sleeping he didn't want to wake her.

"Hey" she said with a smile, she had been waiting for him.

Nathan walked closer to her, but made sure to close the door behind him. The reason he hadn't been in her room earlier was because after talking to Lucas he had told all their friends that it would be best if they went home. Jake being the over protective cousin decided he would stay, but after a little convincing from Nathan and Peyton he had gone home, with the condition that he would be back tomorrow early in the morning.

"You should be sleeping." Nathan always being the over protective boyfriend. Right now he didn't care about anything other than her health.

Haley gave him a weak smile, she was really tired at this moment. "I want to be with you."

"I'll be here" he said, "I promise."

"Can I ask you a favor?"

Nathan nodded, he would never say no to her, especially under the current conditions.

"Can you sleep with me? I really don't want to be alone." Haley hated feeling alone when she was hurt or sick, and Brooke knew that very well, but right now she also had someone else who needed her.

Nathan nodded and walked over to her bed, he sat right next to her and soon laid down. Haley's arm was still hurt and wrapped in gauze, but she leaned on her opposite side and rested her head on his chest, just like she had a couple days ago when she had given herself to him.


	40. You Should Go

**Thanks to all the reviews on the last chapter, I hope you guys like this one. Also, there are only about five more chapters to this story, maybe more. It all depends on how long each chapter is, but yeah there are about five more. Thanks to all of you for reading, and I hope you like this chapter. **

**_JustLIkeBrookeDavis- Thanks so much for your review, I hope you like this one. I know you're more into the sad and depressed Brooke, but this chapter has some happy Brooke to it. I really hope you like it. _**

**_OTHfan1- Thanks so much for your review, and I really hope you like this one. As for the shooting, there might be a flash back as to how it was that the bullet hit Haley, but it all depends on the story._**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- There is more Naley on this chapter, although I have to say it's not all fluff. =(_**

**_KTxx- Thanks for the review. The idea was for Nathan to get shot, but then again we can't have both Scott boys shot, hahahah. Thanks again. =D_**

**_AshleyM15- Thanks ! =D, and I'm glad you like the story._**

**_Dianehermas- there is BRUCAS fluff here, I hope you like it ;)_**

**Thanks you all for your reviews, I hope you like this one. ENJOY. =D**

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Chapter 40-

"Lucas you're okay" Brooke said making her boyfriend walk into the school.

It had only been about two days since the hospital incident and Brooke was sure that Lucas could go to school. The doctor only said to take it easy on his right side, but he should be getting better soon if he stood by the physical therapy.

"Shouldn't you be with your sister" he wined.

Haley was kept under observation for two days, so today she would be going home. The doctors wanted to make sure that the blood they had inserted her was all good and she would be good before she was let go.

"She'll be fine, she got home this morning and said that I should be in school" Brooke told him, "you know how she doesn't like to miss school."

"Fine" Lucas huffed, he had finally given up. He knew that if Brooke wanted him to do something he would eventually do it.

"Let's go then boyfriend" she said spanking his but.

He reached over to her and draped his good arm around her and they walked close together inside the school, where Lucas was ready to answer the million of questions he would be getting.

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"Let me go" Haley said angrily, she was trying to get up and go to school for at least one class. But, every time she got up, Nathan would go and set her back down on the bed.

"Haley you can't, the doctor said you need to have bed rest at least one more day."

"Nathan, I'm fine" she said standing up, then she stood on one foot balancing herself, "see."

He laughed and walked over to her, "I don't think Becky cares if you're fine, she won't let you go to school" he said as he carried her back to bed.

Haley finally gave up and covered herself as she sat on the bed, "fine. But you should go" she said.

Nathan went and sat right next to her and, more like across but still next non the less. "I can't leave you here alone."

"I won't be alone" she said, "my aunt is downstairs, I'll be fine. Now go."

"Haley-"

"No. Nathan, you've gotten so far, I don't want you to fall behind again. Specially now that the school year is almost over, there isn't enough time for you make up your grades if you let them slip." Haley tried to reason with him.

School would be out in about two month's and non of them could afford to miss a day of school, especially Nathan, who had the hardest time with school.

"Fine" he said giving up, he knew he didn't have a chance of winning with her.

"Thank you" she mumbled and leaned over to him to place a soft kiss on his lips. "now go."

Nathan stood up and left her room, doing as he was told and going straight to school.

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"So, since you can't really drive because you need both hands for that" Brooke pointed out as they were both on their way to the parking lot, "I think that makes me your private driver."

"Really?"

"Yeah" Brooke said reaching the car and unlocking it, she opened the passenger door for him, "so, where to master Scott" she teased.

He waited for her to get in the car as well before he answered her, "well, I was thinking we should go to your house."

"Okay" Brooke said and put the car on drive.

"Jake's going to be there, and I'm pretty sure Nathan will too. We can have like a sick people hang out or something" he pointed out.

"Yeah" Brooke answered him while still driving, "Let's go boyfriend."

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"Hey little one" Jake said walking into her room, Peyton attached to him.

"How are you" Peyton asked.

Haley sat up and looked at both of them, her cousin who she loved so much, and the girl he loved who had become pretty good friends with her. "Good, I think I'll be up and walking by tomorrow" she said.

"Not if I can help it" Nathan said walking in.

"What are you doing here?" Jake asked.

"What do you mean" Nathan sat next to Haley on the bed and place a soft kiss on her forehead.

Peyton squeezed his hand, "be nice" she whispered.

No one really knew what had gotten to Jake and become so over protective of his cousins lately, but he would act really weird when Lucas or Nathan were anywhere near them.

"Hey party people" Brooke said walking in the room pulling Lucas in with her, she lead him over to the bed and they also sat on Haley's bed. By now the only people standing were Jake and Peyton.

"You guys can sit" Haley said noticing that they were the only two standing by the door.

"Thanks" Peyton said walking over to a small couch Haley had by the window, "so, how are you feeling?" she asked again, nerves obviously over taking her.

"You already asked that" Haley pointed out, "but good." She laughed at Peyton's reaction when she realized she had already asked that.

They were all sitting quietly in Haley's room when Mouth came running in with a letter, "Oh my god" Mouth said out of breath, "you will not believe what I have here" he raised the envelope for everyone to see.

"What is it?" Lucas asked.

Mouth smiled shyly and proud of himself, "it's my acceptance letter to NYU."

"Mouth, congratulations" Haley said loudly, then Brooke and the rest also congratulated him. Brooke actually ran to him and hugged him, showing him exactly how proud she was.

"Thanks, guys. Did you get yours?" he asked. It was more of a general question then a single person question.

Pretty much everyone nodded, but non of them actually said where they had been accepted. Most of them hadn't had the talk about college just yet, and they didn't want to tell their significant other in a big group. It was a conversation that would have to wait for their own privacy.

"Why NYU?" Brooke asked trying to brake the thick layer of ice that had just been created.

"My dad went there" he said proud, he was so excited about getting accepted he couldn't wipe that smile of his face.

"Cool." Peyton really didn't know if she should say where she was going, she hadn't talked to Jake about it just yet.

"Where did you guys' parents go?" he asked, then he realized what he had asked. "I'm sorry" he said looking from Brooke to Haley and back to Brooke, "I didn't mean to –"

"It's fine" Haley said trying to calm him down, "they went to Stanford" she said smiling at the thought of her parents.

"Both of them?" Lucas asked.

"Yep" Brooke said turning to her boyfriend, "that's where they met."

"How about you?" Peyton asked Jake.

"My mom met my mom went to Stanford with my aunt Lydia, but my dad went to UCLA" he said, "what about you?"

"My mom went to BYU, and my dad didn't go to college" Peyton said, she was proud of what had become of her father, more so knowing he never had a higher education.

"My mom went to Brown" Lucas said, "Keith was going there, and when I was born she enrolled, they raised me together." Lucas was extremely proud of his mother, she had gone to college and finished with a child to take care of. Of course Keith was a big part of that, and that's why he considered Keith a father.

"Duke" Nathan said like it was a no brainer, everyone knew about Dan Scott.

"Is that where _you_ plan on going?" Haley asked him a little worried about the answer.

"That's were I wanted to go" he said in all honesty. He was now confused. His whole life the plan was to go to Duke, but now it had all change. It had all changed when he met Haley, and when he knew where she was applying. He was more confused then ever now, and he really didn't know what he was going to do.

"I have to go" Peyton said standing up, "my dad comes home today, and I promised him I would be there when he gets home" she said looking around to everyone.

"See ya" Brooke said walking over to her friend and giving her a tight hug.

"Thanks for coming" Haley said from the bed.

"No problem, get well soon" and with that Peyton was gone. It wasn't long after Jake ran after her, he really didn't like to be away from her, nor did he like her being in that house all alone.

"He's got it bad" Lucas said laughing.

"Is that bad?" Brooke didn't know what exactly Lucas meant by the words, but was it so bad if Jake wanted to be with his girlfriend all the time.

"No" Lucas defended himself.

"Good" Brooke said ginning, "now let's go, you have to take your meds" she order.

"Yes, mama" Lucas joked.

"Shut up" Brooke groaned, "let's just go, you can't go anywhere without your driver" she smiled evilly.

"Is that so?" Lucas asked.

Brooke began to push him out the door and he yelled in, "bye Haley, see you tomorrow" he shouted hoping that she could hear him.

"They're funny" Mouth said, "I better go too, my dad will be home soon, and I want to tell him the good news" he said waving the envelope one more time, "bye guys" and he was out the door.

"I guess it's just you and me" Haley said smiling, then she tapped on the bed for him to go and sit next to her.

Nathan did just what she had showed him to do and sat right next to her.

"So about college" she said nervously, "what did you mean when you said _that's where I wanted to go_?" Haley was really worried about the out come of this conversation but it had to happen sooner or later.

Nathan took a deep breath before he looked at her, "it means that's where I wanted to go before you" he said cupping her cheek, "it's the school I wanted to be at before you came along."

"What about now?" she asked worried about the answer.

"I don't know" he said, he was honestly debating on this. "I got a scholarship from Duke, but I also got an acceptance letter form Stanford."

"Nathan, you have to go to Duke" Haley said tears forming in her eyes, she would love for him to go to school with her, but he had to do what was best for him.

"Why? I want to go to Stanford" he said leaning back.

"Nathan" she said softly, "Stanford is not a basketball school, Duke is. You can be great, you can shine, you can make it big time. But if you go to Stanford, people might not see your talent."

"What about us?" he asked getting sad, he would cry but he really didn't want to let Haley see him so weak.

"We can make it work."

"No!" he stood up, "No, Haley. I can't stand it when I don't see you for a day, how am I suppose to live if your not with me for a whole semester?"

"Nathan, there is holidays. We can visit each other."

"I don't want us to _try_ and work things out, I want us to be together" he said getting angry at the conversation.

"Nathan, I..-"

"Did you reply your acceptance" he asked.

"What?"

"Did you? Haley did you reply?"

"No, I was thinking about it" she said, "I wasn't sure I wanted to go there just yet."

"You should" he said sternly.

"What?" Haley was now confused, he said how he wanted them to be together, now he was telling her what to do. "You should accept" he said, "you're right, we should try and work it out" he said. then he stood up and left her room, leaving a very confused Haley in bed.

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"So, I guess that means you're going to Brown" Brooke said. She wanted so bad not to talk about this, but the subject had come up with Mouth, and now she had to know if they would be going to the same school.

"Nope" Lucas said shaking his head.

"But… Isn't that where your mom and Keith went?" she was confused, she was expecting him to say yes. She was actually considering on going there herself.

"Yeah, they did."

"Then where are you going?" Brooke was now more confused then ever.

"Well" he said turning to her, "I was thinking about going to Stanford."

"Why?"

Lucas was taken back by her reaction, he was actually expecting her to scream and jump up and down. "I… Well, I… I wanted to go to school with you" he said in all honesty.

"Where else where you planning on going?" she asked.

"Duke" he said, "they offered Nathan and I a basketball scholarship, but-"

"You should take it" Brooke cut him off, "you should take that, you'll be going to school for free."

"But-"

"Lucas, I love you. But I know how much basketball means to you" Brooke said reaching over to him, "I was actually thinking of going to Duke myself" she said smiling.

"Really?" Lucas was a little confused by her comment and her reaction.

"Yeah. I want to stay close, I really don't want to go back to California. I like it here."

"I'm glad" he said reaching over to her and kissing her softly. As much as he would love to take it further right then, he couldn't risk his arm.

"I love you, Lucas Scott" Brooke said kissing him back.

"I love you , too."

Lucas reached over to her and kissed her deeply, he laid her on his bed and kept kissing her. All while trying not to hurt his arm. It didn't go far, since Brooke pulled away and told him that the doctor said that he should be taking it easy, and she was going to do everything in her power to make sure he did.

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**Thanks to all of you for reading this chapter. I know the last part was very dramatic hahhaha, but hey that's what the show is all about. Next chapter there WILL be HUGE news, so make sure to read it. It will also give you Haley and Nathan's answers towards school.**

**THANKS FO READING, AND DON'T FORGET TO TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. =D**


	41. Distant

**Thanks to all for all the reviews guys, thanks so much for them all.**

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- thanks for the review girlie, haha I loved the review and it totally made me laugh._**

**_AshleyM15- thanks =D_**

**_OTHfan1- haha yeah, I loved the way Nathan reacted too. YES! I will make a sequel, but it will two. I will explain it better at the bottom. ;D_**

**_KTxx- BRUCAS is awesome, I love them. Just to answer your questions Brandon killed himself, it was just never said. I was thinking of maybe making it a flashback where Haley and Nathan explain it all. Also, Lucas was shot on the chest but on the right side and since the bullet had to go through the ceiling/ floor it didn't really hit him hard. As for Haley, she was shot on the arm. ;)_**

**_Dianehermans- Brooke wont be all that happy this chapter, but she still is her happy go lucky self._**

**_Haley James Scott- That was my first thought, but I thought of something totally different for them, it will all be explained better at the bottom ;D_**

**Thanks to all and please enjoy this chapter—DON'T FORGET TO READ THE NOTE AT THE BOTTOM. =D**

**Chapter 41-**

School seemed to be flying, and they really didn't want it all to be over. Soon they would all be in different schools, all scattered around the country. Brooke had told Lucas that she was planning on going to Duke, something that didn't really sit well with Haley. But, that's what Brooke wanted, and Haley always tried to understand her sister's decisions.

_Flashback-_

_After being left alone on her bed by Nathan storming out angry, Haley really had nothing to do. She got her laptop and began to do research on Duke, if it was a good academic school, then maybe she would be attending with Nathan. She understood the whole not wanting to be apart thing, but she also had to think of her future._

_Brooke on the other hand was more than happy with her decision. She was never a girl who cared about academics, the only reason she was going was because of Lucas. She got accepted because of her sister's help, and she was going because she had the money to do so._

_"I'll see ya tomorrow" he said giving her a kiss on the forehead as she leaned on the door of her car._

_Brooke closed her eyes when his lips touched her skin, she loved the feel of him near her. She nodded and opened the door, after settling herself on the seat Lucas closed the door and tapped the top of the car for her to go. And just like that, she was gone. _

_OoO_

_"Hey you" she said walking into her sister's room. Brooke had tried to talk to Jake first, but he wasn't home jus yet._

_Haley put the computer on the side table and closed it, she then focused her attention on her sister. She watched as her sister walked in, took her shoes off, and sat on the bed right next to her leaning her head on Haley's shoulder._

_"What is it?" Haley knew her sister all to well, and the position Brooke was using right there wasn't good._

_Brooke lifted her head and faced her sister, taking a deep breath and releasing it she began. "You know how we always wanted to go to Stanford together?" Haley nodded and Brooke continued, "have you ever… Have you ever thought of going somewhere else?"_

_Haley didn't really know where the question was coming, but she knew the answer to that. No, wait Yes. There really was no right answer to this. Just a few minutes ago she was researching Duke University, but just before she had met Nathan Stanford had been the only school. _

_"No, I never wanted to"_

_Brooke's expression was unreadable, how was she going to explain to her sister that she was no longer going to be attending the same school as her. _

_"But"_

_That changed it all, the small but gave Brooke some hope._

_"But, now I do."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_Haley looked at her sister who was obviously worried about the answer, "I never wanted to go anywhere else. I mean, we lived in California, it was our home…"_

_"But" Brooke said asking her to continue. _

_"But. Now we're in Tree Hill, and I don't want to leave. As much as I love Cali, and I'd love to go to Stanford, I love Nathan more."_

_"So he changed your mind?"_

_"No. He made me think about my options" _

_"I have to tell you something" Brooke said sitting up a little. "I'm going to Duke."_

_"What!" Haley couldn't Believe the words coming out of her sister's mouth, how could Brooke even considered not going to the same school as her parents had gone._

_"I want to go there, Haley"_

_"You can't" she said sternly._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"You're not going there."_

_"Like Hell I'm not" Brooke yelled furiously, "you know what, if you want to go there then go ahead, but I'm not going to give up my life to go to a school just because my parents went there." With those words Brooke stormed out of the room and ran towards her._

_As much as it hurt her to yell at her sister, an to yell those mean words, she had to. Haley would never understand, and now she had to live with the decision's she had made. _

_Flashback Over-_

Brooke was broken from her thoughts when Peyton went and took the seat next to her. School would be over in one just a few weeks, and for the seniors there was pretty much nothing to do. They had an assembly at least once at week, and this was one of those days.

"What are you thinking?" Peyton asked noticing that Brooke was still out of it.

Brooke shook her head, "nothing really."

"So you excited?"

"About?" Brooke asked a little clueless.

"College, you're going to Duke with Luke, right? Hey that rhymes, Duke, Luke, Duke, Luke" Peyton laughed at the end of her little rhyme.

Brooke chuckled a little, "yeah."

"What's wrong?" She asked concerned, she could see that there was something in Brooke's mind, something that Brooke didn't want to tell her.

"It's Haley. She's still not talking to me."

"That sucks" Peyton said, "I wish I could help you." She really did wish that, she hated the way Brooke and Haley had been acting lately, it was as if they didn't really know each other.

"Thanks" Brooke said standing up and grabbing her bag, "I'll see ya at lunch" she said then began to walk outside, she really needed some air.

Peyton was left there just staring at how her friend disappeared in the distance.

O

Oo

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_Flashback-_

_It had been about two weeks since they had their fight, or as Haley called it **'Nathan's walk out'. **She understood that he wanted them to be together, but she also understood that they should follow their dreams. As much as she wanted to be with him, she wanted to go to Stanford as well. Sure she would love for him to go with her, but that would be selfish, she couldn't do that to him._

_They had been acting as if the fight never happened, but that couldn't go for much longer. They needed to talk about it all, and it needed to be soon._

_"Hey" Nathan said as he walked up to her._

_Haley had called him and told him to meet her at their place, the one they would go to running every morning._

_He walked closer and sat right next to her placing a soft kiss on her forehead on his way down, "what's wrong?" He could see in her expression that what she was going to tell her was not good news._

_Haley turned to him on the verge of tears, she wanted so bad to tell him._

_"Hey" he said holding her and pulling her to a hug, "what's wrong?"_

_Haley sniffed, "I did it" she said to his shirt. _

_It wasn't crystal clear, but he did understand what she had said. He didn't know what it was that she had done, but he knew it had to be bad news. "What did you do?"_

_Haley pulled away and wiped the tears with the back of her hand, she sniffed once more before she spoke again. "Nathan, you have to know that I love you. I do, I love you more than anything…"_

_"You did it" he said realizing what it was that she had done. "When?" he asked angry._

_Tears began to fall down he tears again, "last week."_

_"Why? Why would you do that?" he didn't know what to think, what to say, what to do. Nothing was going to change this, she had done it and he couldn't change it._

_"I'm sorry, I wish I could change it"_

_"Change it. Haley you accepted."_

_"I know" she said leaning closer to him to hug him, but he pulled away._

_"Why? Just tell me why" he said trying to get an honest answer from her. _

_"Brooke"_

_"you did it because of Brooke?"_

_Haley shook her head, "she said she was going to Duke with Lucas. I wanted to go with you, but I couldn't let my parents down. And I couldn't drag you with me, you deserve better than that."_

_"So you sent the letter for me?"_

_Haley nodded, she didn't have words to say. _

_"I can't believe this" he said standing up, "YOU are the one ripping us apart" he said, "I hope you're happy with your decision." He turned around and left her there sitting on the beach all by herself with her tears. He hated himself for doing it, but it was something that just happened in the heat of the moment. _

_Flashback over-_

Haley was broken from her though when she felt his lips on her forehead. She smiled at the feel of it, it was something she wasn't going to feel for a while.

"What's on your mind?" Nathan asked taking the seat next to her.

Haley shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her drink. They had finally gotten through the whole college thing, she really didn't want to remind him that soon they would have to be living life separated.

"You excited for graduation?" Jake asked taking a seat next to his cousin.

"You know it" Nathan said, "I can't wait to get out of this place."

Haley smiled, but she couldn't agree. She loved it there, it felt safe, specially knowing that she had Nathan around all the time.

"I can't believe we're all going to be so far away" Peyton commented.

"I know" Brooke said sitting next to her and giving her sister a smile in hopes of getting one in return.

"So" Peyton said trying to stop the staring contest between Haley and Brooke, "we should do something this summer, you know like go camping or something."

"Road trip" Mouth said sitting down.

"Yeah" Brooke said enthusiastically, "that would be so much fun."

"let's do it" Nathan said.

"It's set then" Jake said, "road trip this summer."

"I'm gonna go" Haley said standing up, "I don't feel too well." It had been just about two weeks since her wound had been healed, but the doctor said that she would still have some pain every now and then.

Her pain was nothing compare to Lucas'. He had been shot on his right side chest, and even though the bullet hadn't gone far it still had hit him. His wound was in a place that would hurt him longer, but he was taking his meds.

"See ya" Peyton said smiling.

Haley nodded to her and turned around. She knew that the reason why they though she was leaving was because of her wound, but the truth was that she really didn't want to be around them when they were all talking about going to college with their partners.

Brooke would be with Lucas and Nathan at Duke, Jake would be at UCLA with Peyton, Mouth would be going to NYU, Skills was going to SC, all while Haley would be at Stanford all alone. Sure Skills wasn't going with Bevin or anyone for that matter, but he was a social person. Haley, not so much.

"She still mad at you?" Lucas asked his girlfriend, who just nodded with a fake smile.

"She's just going through a lot" Nathan said trying to defend his girlfriend, who was actually getting very distant.

"Maybe it's the whole graduation thing, she's been really nervous about it" Peyton commented.

They continued to come up with a reason to why Haley was so distant, but the truth was that they would never be able to find out. The truth was that she was distant because she didn't want to miss them too much, and she thought that if she started to distant herself now, that it would hurt less later.

O

OO

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**Okay so there it is, I hope you liked the chapter. I know it was mostly flashbacks, but it was just to explain what had happened.**

**About the sequel, I am going to make one and I hope you guys read it. I also will be making a little spin-off if you guys like it. The idea is for Haley and Nathan. Since they are going to different colleges it will be letters that they send to each other through out their time there. Tell me what you think and if you like, then I'll do it. **

**Thanks to all for reading, and don't forget to review. **


	42. Sisterly Love

**Thanks to all of the reviewers, and also to those who add this story to their favorites. **

**Chapter 42-**

Haley laid on her bed with Nathan right beside her. He rubbed up and down her arm as her head rested on his chest. Nathan had become so comfortable with this position, and he didn't know what he would do once she was across the country. But one thing he did know, he knew that he needed to enjoy this little moments as much as he could.

"Have you talked to Brooke?" he asked, his hand never stopped moving. Nathan felt her head shake on his chest, taking a deep breath he spoke again, "Haley, it's not her fault."

"I know" she said, softly.

"You can't control Love" he said. Nathan knew that if she hadn't accepted the scholarship for him, he would have followed her to Stanford.

"Are you mad?" Haley's head turned to look at him. This had been the first time she actually looked into his eyes since they had been on her bed, and it had been a while.

Nathan's expression was shocked, he shook his head and spoke "no, I can't be mad at you."

"Do you think it's selfish of me to go to Stanford?"

Nathan shook his head once more, "I think it would be selfish if I made you go to Duke with me." He didn't know where all this was coming from and he wasn't going to let her punish herself for doing what she wanted, "I want you to go to Stanford, I want you to experience that, to be your own person" he said.

Haley didn't know why he was being so understanding, but she would take it for now. There was little time left to enjoy together, and she wasn't going to spend it fighting with him. "I love you" she said, her head once more resting on his chest.

"I love you, too."

They both knew that as much as saying goodbye would hurt they had to experience life as it is. They can't be together all the time, but they were going to make this long distance thing work.

O

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"Brooke, it's just graduation." Peyton was growing tired of running around the mall, they had been to every store at least three times already.

"It's not _just graduation_" Brooke mimicked, "It's graduation, the last day of high school, the day that officially makes up adults and independent."

"Wow" Peyton said, shocked at the way Brooke was explaining herself. She never expected Brooke to be so deep when it came to school, but then again, Brooke was a very surprising person.

Brooke walked over to a bench on the side of the store and waited for Peyton to sit next to her, once Peyton was settled she took a deep breath, there was lots to say. "I know you don't like shopping" she said, "you see, this is something I do with Haley. She never complained, even though I knew she wanted to go home and she was tired, she still went to every store as many times as it took for me to find what I wanted. I guess, in a way I'm using you to get over the fact that Haley's still not talking to me. I'm using you like a sister, because I really miss her" she said, by the last sentence she had tears down her cheeks and she couldn't hold her breath steady.

Peyton took her friend in her arms and hugged her as tight as she possibly could. There were no words she could say to make Brooke feel better. It's not like she could tell her that Haley would come around soon, because Haley wasn't even really speaking to her. Come to think of it, Haley had been really distant the last week.

"Can we go home" Brooke said wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand.

Peyton could say no, although she wouldn't say it even if Brooke wasn't a mess. She wanted to go home as well, so all she did was nod and help Brooke up so they could both go home.

O

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They still laid in bed, it was as if this was the last time they would see each other and they couldn't pull apart. Haley had fallen asleep and he could see her head go up and down as he breathed. Nathan knew that he was going to miss this more than anything, it was the best part of his day. The time of day when he was with Haley it was as if everything around them disappeared and it was just the two of them. He knew that the time to say goodbye would come soon, and sooner for them since he had to be at Duke early for basketball camp.

He felt her stir a little and cracked a little smile when she wrapped her arm around him tighter. To him it was as if she didn't want to let go of their relationship as well. He knew she was right and that he should go to Duke, it was the best choice for him, plus he got a full scholarship. But he couldn't help but wonder. Wonder what it would be like to not see her everyday, or to not get a simple and soft kiss hello. All the little things seemed so big now, now that he knew that he wasn't going to have her so close.

Haley took a deep breath and when she exhaled she looked up at him and smiled, "what are you doing?"

Nathan smiled back and pulled her hair back, "just watching you sleep. I'm gonna miss that" he admitted.

Haley's smile dropped at the thought of not having him near her, "I'm going to miss you."

"Me too."

Haley could see the pain in his eyes, and every time she saw it she felt a bit of guilt. To her it was all her fault. If it wasn't 'cause she accepted his letter he wouldn't be sad. If it wasn't 'cause she decided to go to Stanford, they wouldn't be in so much pain and he wouldn't be looking at her like he was dying inside. Either way she looked at it, it always seemed to come back to her.

"What are you thinking?" he said, breaking her from her trail of thoughts of guilt.

"Can I ask you a favor?" Seen him nod she continued, she really didn't need words from him to know he would say yes. "Can you spend the night? I don't want to be alone."

"Of course" he said smiling, "but you wont be alone, Brooke will be here" he said as an attempt to maker her talk to her sister.

"I know" Haley said coldly.

"Haley" he said, and waited for her to look up at him. His voice was stern, as if he was ordering for her to look at him. Once she did he continued, "you need to talk to her, you're going to regret it if you don't."

Haley said nothing she just looked at him, she knew he was right, even if she didn't want him to be.

"You know that she will be leaving with Lucas, right?" he said reminding her that Brooke would be leaving with them when they went off to camp.

Haley nodded, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Nathan kicked himself in the head mentally for doing this, he heated making her cry. But as much as he heated it, he knew that she would heat herself for not talking to Brooke before they left. "If you want, I'll be there with you."

Haley shook her head, "I love you for that, but this is something I have to do on my own."

Nathan nodded and stood up.

"Where are you going?" she asked panicking.

"To change" Nathan said, "I need to wear something more comfortable if I'm going to be sleeping here.

Haley nodded, "don't be long. Please."

"I'll be right back" he said pressing a soft kiss on her forehead. And just like that he was gone.

Haley laid back on her head, she then realized how hard Nathan's chest really was, the pillow her head rested on now was really soft and fluffy. She let out a long sigh and turned to her side, then she quickly sat on the side of her bed. "It's now or never" she encouraged herself. With that she stood up and walked across the hall.

Haley knew Brooke was home, she had heard her come in a couple of hours ago. She knew that she needed to have this talk with her little sister, and she heated herself for putting it off for so long. Fighting was something that Haley and Brooke didn't do often. Brooke did fight a lot, but Haley always found a way to tame her sister and to put everything behind.

She opened the door slowly and say her baby sister laying on her bed, stepping it slowly she called her. "Brooke."

That was all it took for Brooke to turn and look at the door, "I'm sorry" Brooke said. She had been wanting to say it for a long time, but when the person you want to apologize to doesn't talk to you there was no point. She didn't want to say she was sorry and have Haley not say anything in return.

"No, I'm sorry" Haley said walking quickly to her sister and hugging her, "I shouldn't have over reacted."

"It's my fault" Brooke said, "It was always the plan to go to Stanford together, but then Lucas came around and I changed my mind. I love him, Haley. I've never felt like this for anyone before."

"I know the feeling" Haley said letting out a little chuckle through her tears."I love you" she said.

"I love you, too" Brooke said hugging her sister once more.

Haley pulled away after a few seconds, "I guess I just wanted you with me" she admitted, "as selfish as that sounds, I wanted you to be there with me. Brooke, we've never been apart. Even when we were little we were always together. I guess I just didn't want to be alone. But _I am_ proud of you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You've never done anything on your own, and now you're going to a whole different school. You're going to be all the way across the country from me, and you're not even scared. You are starting your own life, and I'm happy for you."

Brooke couldn't believe the words that were coming out her sister's mouth, it was the exact same way she felt about Haley. The only difference was that Haley had done this before, she had to. Haley had to grow up faster to protect her sister, and in a way it was as if her daughter was leaving her.

"Spend the night?" Brooke asked.

"Yes" Haley said smiling, then her smile dropped. "Actually, I asked Nathan to spend the night" she said pointing to her room.

"that's fine" Brooke said smiling as well, "now, I don't have to cancel my plans with Lucas."

"What plans?"

"He was spending the night as well" Brooke admitted, "you know, since the parental are not here, and Jake's spending the night at Peyton's."

"I'll let you get ready" Haley said, knowing that Brooke did a whole transformation thing when Lucas ever came around.

"I'm glad we're talking again."

"Me too" Haley said standing by the door, after a few glances and smiles she walked towards her room.

O

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"Hey, Pretty girl" Lucas said walking in the kitchen, he gave her soft kiss and sat on the stool on the island.

"What are you doing here?"

Lucas and Brooke both turned to the person standing by the kitchen door.

"He's spending the night" Brooke said, "she's upstairs."

He needed little words to get going, after Brooke had instructed that Haley was upstairs Nathan ran up the stairs to her room. Not even bothering to knock he walked in only to find her brushing her hair. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, "hey you, why so smiley?"

Haley turned to face him and draped herself onto his neck, then gave him a quick peck. "I talked to her."

Nathan smiled, "I take it, it went well."

"Better" she said, "now let's go downstairs, Brooke's making brownies for the movie."

Nathan was being dragged out of the room before he could even process her words, "what movie?"

"You'll see" she said running down the stairs.

"You might want to slow down, considering you spend more time on the floor than on your feet" he said laughing.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs Haley turned to him, "would you like to sleep on the couch tonight?"

Nathan shook his head then followed her to the kitchen.

"Hey love birds" Brooke greeted.

"Are you almost done?" Haley asked her younger sister.

"Almost" Brooke said smiling. "Did you give him the good news?" Brooke asked eyeing Nathan.

"What news?" Lucas asked.

After getting ready Brooke had gone to talk to Haley again, just because it felt so good. After all the time it had been since Haley had last spoken to her, just saying hi to her felt good. That was when Haley told her about her great idea, and to say Brooke was excited about it was an understatement.

Haley shook her head, "I was gonna do it later, you know, when we're alone."

"Come on, it's not like the news don't affect all of us" Brooke said motioning to the room with the spatula in hand, she was getting the brownies from the pan.

Nathan turned to face Haley with a terrified look, "you're pregnant" he said, a little to loud for her licking.

"What?" Lucas yelled, "you two. What? How?"

"I think we all know how babies are made, Lucas" Brooke tired to joke, she knew that wasn't the reason, so there was nothing wrong with her joking about it.

"Are you?" Nathan asked.

Haley shook her head, "No, I'm not pregnant."

"Then what?"

She took a deep breath, "I have decided to go to Duke with you guys" she said with a nervous smile. Haley didn't know how Nathan would react to the news, but that wasn't all of it.

"What?" he asked a little angry, "I though we talked about this."

"We did, but you haven't let me finished, yet."

"There's more" Lucas said. Unlike his brother he loved the idea of Haley being there with them, that way Brooke wouldn't be alone so much, as well as having someone she loved there.

"I won't be attending Duke" she said, "I'm just going while you guys are at camp."

"So you'll be there until you have to leave to Stanford" Nathan said.

"That's right 'Mr. Jump to conclusions'" Brooke said joking, "She's going to spend time with me, because she loves me."

"What about me?" Lucas asked.

"I love you, too" Haley said smiling at her friend. She really didn't know why, but she found herself closer to Lucas than any of their other friends, but she also never felt attracted to him.

"Broody, why don't you help me set up the movie" Brooke said handing him a plate of brownies and a bowl of popcorn.

Lucas did nothing more than follow her, he could never say no to her.

"Why do you need help?" he asked a little clueless.

Brooke chuckled, for such a smart boy, Lucas could be really dumb sometimes. "Did you not feel the tension in there, they obviously need to talk about this."

Brooke motioned for him to place the bowl and plate on the table, then she walked over to the movie selection and grabbed one. Without even bothering to ask him if he liked it she popped it in the DVD, then she walked over to the couch where he was sitting.

"You do know the TV need to be on to watch it, right?"

"Yes" she said, "we're just waiting for them."

"What do you think they're talking about?" he asked.

He really was clueless, Brooke thought. "The fact that they act like a married couple, and that Haley just made a decision without talking to him about it gives me a pretty good idea."

"Wait, married?"

"Yeah, they do everything together. I'm sure if he would have asked her to marry him she would've said yes. I mean, they already act like they're married. Plus, Nathan spends like every night here."

"Really?" Lucas asked, he didn't know that. "Why don't you let me spend more time here?"

"Because, I'm seventeen, and if they catch us you could be in trouble."

"Fine" Lucas said taking her answer. He didn't think there was anything wrong with a seventeen year old to be dating an eighteen year old, but then again he wasn't the law.

"How long do you think they'll take?" he asked.

"They need their time" Brooke said putting popcorn in his mouth then kissing him.

O

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Once Brooke and Lucas were out of the kitchen Haley turned to Nathan, she knew there was something there. He wasn't given her much, so she was just going to have to figure it out.

"Let me guess, you don't like my idea."

"I love your idea" he said, "I just don't think it's a good idea."

Haley was shocked as his words, "Why? Because you didn't come up with it? Or because you don't want me to be there when you hit on other girls?"

"What are you talking about?" Nathan said, "there is no other girls."

"Then why is it a bad idea?"

"I didn't say it was bad, I just said it don't think it's a good idea."

"The opposite of good, is bad, Nathan. You're pretty much saying it's a bad idea. Why can't you just be happy with my decision?"

"It's not that."

"Then what?" she shot.

"I just think that if you go, it's just going to make it that much harder to have to say bye" he said walking closer to her, "I just want to make this as easy as possible on you, and on me too."

"But if I go, then we have to wait less time to see each other again. And isn't spending time together and having a hard goodbye better than spending no time together and saying goodbye?"

She had a point, and at good one at that.

"Yeah" he said, "you're right, I'm sorry I was such an ass" he said pulling her closer and hugging her.

"It's okay. Besides, you're my ass." She stepped up and kissed him, wrapping her hands around his neck she felt him pulling her closer by the waist, if that was even possible.

When they pulled apart he looked down at her, "I love you, and I would love for you to come to Duke with me, but I think you need to follow your own dream."

She simply nodded, his words were so kind and true that she didn't want to ruin the moment.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the family room were Lucas and Brooke were having a little make out session on the long couch. And by little it meant that they were still clothed. Brooke was laying on her back while Lucas laid on top rubbing the side of her body. His other hand was playing with her hair, making it look like a tornado had just gone through. Brooke had one leg wrapped around him and the other one straight, while her arms just rubbed his back up and down.

"I think they want their time" Haley whispered, "maybe we should just go."

"Or maybe, we should scared them" Nathan suggested.

"We can hear you" Brooke said when Lucas pulled away.

"We can go if you want" Haley suggested.

"Don't be silly, come sit down" Brooke said fixing her hair, "besides, we had to do something to distract ourselves from all the yelling."

"Were we that loud?" Haley asked shocked.

"She's kidding" Lucas said, "we only heard part of it" he said when he saw Haley let out a relieved sigh.

"Let's just watch the movie" Brooke said turning on the TV.

"Ooh, My favorite" Haley said jumping on the smaller couch.

"Ugh. Come on" Lucas said, "we've seen this like ten times."

"It's Haley's favorite, and she won't be able to watch it with us when she's at Stanford" Brooke said. She knew it was Haley's favorite, but it was also her favorite movie. Both girls had fallen in love with the movie and watched all the time.

There was something about the story of the movie that got to both of them, everything about it was so great and genuine. The way he was an ass and change for the better, and the way she made him a better person. The way they fell in love in such a short time. Everything about the movie was great, even the music made you want to cry.

"I don't need a movie" Nathan said, "I got my own Jamie here." He pulled Haley closer to him and kissed the top of her head.

"You do realize that Jamie is a nerd, and Haley is anything but a nerd."

"That's not what I meant" Nathan said to Brooke, she always found something to say back.

"Than what?"

"Jamie's smart, so is Haley. She's can sing, so can Haley. She fell for the ass, so did Haley" he trailed of saying all the things they had in common.

"Jamie's pretty" Brooke said, "and so is Haley."

"Brooke" Haley said embarrassed that the subject was all about her and her qualities.

"That's were you're wrong little one" Nathan said looking at Brooke, "Jamie _is_ pretty, but Haley's beautiful."

"Dude, you're so whipped" Lucas said throwing a pillow at him.

"That's so sweet" Brooke said looking at her sister and her boyfriend, then she turned to her own boyfriend "why don't you say things like that to me?"

"Because you don't need me to tell you how beautiful you are, you know that you are."

"Let's just watch the movie" Nathan said. For being and aspiring writer, sometime Lucas didn't really know the right words to say.

"Broody, you know just what to say to make me love you more" Brooke said. She loved it when Lucas told her that there was no reason to remind her of her beauty, or her generosity. It was a way of saying that even if no one told her she had those qualities, she knew they were there. And people didn't tell her because they shone so brightly.

With that Brooke pressed play and the two couples began to watch 'A Walk To Remember', the movie that would always remind them of the good times they had together, and also how to appreciate what you have, because there is nothing assuring you that you'll have it forever.

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**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- Thanks for the review, I hope you liked this chapter. Brooke and Haley finally talked, and not just that but Haley will be staying with Brooke while the boys are training._**

**_OTHfan1- Happy Late birthday, funny that's my cousin's birthday hahaha. Loved your idea, and it's pretty close to what will happen on the sequel. If you don't mind spoiler then tell me and I will tell you my ideas so far on a PM._**

**_KTxx- The sequel will be during College, but I don't think I'll do all four years. Maybe do one year then skip to the graduation or something, but so far is college. _**

**_Dianehermans- thanks, as for the cupid story, it will be up and running on Friday. =D_**

**_Haley Elizabeth James- I'm happy for you, about being a camp counselor. It takes lots of patience if you ask me. Thanks for the review, and I hope you liked this chapter, it has more happy Naley, even if they did have their little argument, but Nathan came around to the idea. _**

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**Thanks for reading, and don't forget to tell me what you think. =D**


	43. Never

**Thanks to all the reviews guys, they are always awesome. I'm really sorry this chapter is so short, but this week I won't really have time to update so all my chapters will be short. I have to change the tires on the car, change the oil, fix one of the windows that my cousin broke, and clean it cause I'm going out this weekend. Also, I live in a small town and this week is like the town celebration so there is tons of things going on and they're only like three blocks from my house so I will be there spending lots of money. **

**Thanks to all and please enjoy this chapter.**

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**Chapter 43-**

Graduation is the time everyone can't wait to come, but when the moment arrives, you really wish you had a few more days of high school left. High school makes you, it turns you into a mature adult. It's all the many years that you have to go through that tough battles, all the ups and downs make you who you are once you graduate. For these teens it was a moment long waited for, and it had finally arrived.

One by one they all received their diplomas and waited for their pictures to be taken. It had all come to an end, this was the moment that defined them for who they were. Some were going off to college, others to travel, other to just live life, but in the end they had all made it through together.

"I can't believe we're finally done" Brooke said, letting out a big sigh of relief.

Lucas, who was standing right next to her draped his arm over her shoulder. "you know you're going to miss this place" he said knowingly. He knew how Brooke worked, and as much as she said she didn't want to be there she did. He knew how much she loved cheering for them, and how good she got along with practically everyone in school. He never really understood why the James girls were so friendly.

Nathan always questioned the same thing. Haley like Brooke, also made friends quick. It was as if they couldn't go on without talking to people, and he hardly knew any enemies the girls had.

"You know, this place changed my life" Haley said looking at Nathan.

"How?" Brooke jumped in, she didn't really cared that her sister wasn't talking to her.

Haley turned to look at her sister, but answer to the whole group standing with her. "I guess it just made me live life, like the real life."

"I don't get it?"

Bevin was never a quick one to understand things, Skills knew that. "It's okay, babe."

"I think we all grew up this year" Peyton shared, "I mean look how far we've gotten."

"I'm not an ass" Nathan said looking to see his friends response, all he saw were nods.

He had changed so much since the beginning of the year, even Jake was impressed. Somehow Haley and Brooke coming to Tree Hill changed everything for the better.

"I got a girlfriend" Lucas stated. He had never really had a girlfriend, he just never seemed to find the right girl. Somehow Brooke had changed that.

"I got to share more time with my cousins." Jake was so glad that they had moved to his house, he loved both girls as if they were his sisters. He remembered every adventure they ever had as kids, and he also remembered all the times he was there when they broke down because of their parents. In his world them moving to his house just sealed the deal, he always viewed them as his sisters.

"I think we should go" Peyton interrupted, pretty much everyone was gone and they had to be the café for their graduation party.

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Karen was so proud of her baby, he had finally graduated. In her eyes he would always be her baby, the boy who needed her at night when he was afraid. Now she had to let him go, let him fly away and soar towards success.

"Thanks, mom" Lucas said pulling away form her.

"Come here" Karen said grabbing Nathan, she hugged him tightly.

She then continued to do it to each and every single one of them, she was proud of them all and to her they were all her kids. After, they spent a big part of their days at the café.

"I would like to make a toast" Dan said. Everyone's attention immidiatly turned to him, sure he was the mayor but he never really spoke to little people not that the people there all were. Bevin's parents had money, so did Jake, and so did Haley and Brooke, pretty much the only people he wouldn't really talk to would be Mouth, Skills, and Lucas' family, in his book they were all the little people who didn't really count.

He raised his glass and turned to his youngest son, "for this wonderful group of kids who have made it through the rollercoaster that is high school, and that may all their goals come to be. Let's hope they don't have road bums along the way" he tried to joke, "cheers"

Everyone raised their glass and repeated after him, then they all took a sip. That is everyone except for Nathan, he knew exactly what Dan was talking about. In Dan's eyes Nathan and Haley's relationship was moving way to fast, they already looked like they were married. If Nathan moved she would moved, they were like magnets that never detached.

"Come with me" he said grabbing her hand and pulling her to the back of the café, once the destination was reached he took her up the stairs to the roof.

"Nathan, what's wrong?" Haley could since that there was something he wanted to tell her, he would always take her away from the crowd when he needed to tell her something.

There was something that had been bothering him since the morning, or since he had met up with her that day before they went to graduation ceremony together. He had thought that she could, but he didn't think it would be possible. Yet, he had to ask her to be sure, he couldn't let anything ruin his chances at the NBA.

"Nathan…"

He looked at her, "you're on the pill, right?"

She looked at him confused, yet decided to tell him the truth. "Yeah. Why?"

"Haley, are you… are you pregnant?"

"What?" she jumped form the bench, she was furious. "You're kidding, right?"

Nathan shook his head.

"What makes you think I'm pregnant?"

"This morning when we I picked you up… you…. You puked, then you said you hadn't been feeling well. I just assumed-"

"That I was pregnant" she cut him off furious, "I can't believe this, you think that if I thought I was pregnant I wouldn't tell you?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking. I need to know if I'm going to be bouncing a kid on my lap, or if I'm going to bounce a basketball" he shot raising his voice.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this" Haley said in disbelief, the man she loved was accusing her of not only being pregnant, but also of being and untrustworthy person.

"Just tell me if you are, I promise I wont get mad" he said walking up to her, but the closer he got she would take a step back.

"NO!" she yelled, "I am not pregnant, and you know what? It's very insulting to know that you think I wouldn't tell you if I though I was, and what's so bad about having a kid anyways? Is it because it's me, or because you think you're to young to have one?" She was so angry she just shot question after question, she couldn't wrap her mind around the conversation.

"No" he said trying to reach her again, but she took a step back when he tried to touch her cheek. "I would love to have kids with you, maybe even a little girl just like you" he smiled at the thought of a mini Haley running around, "I'm just not ready to have one right now."

Nathan tried to justified his reaction, but Haley knew there was something else there. She walked to the picnic table and sat on the table with her feet on the seat, "what else is there?"

Nathan looked at her confused, "what do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You can tell me" she said the last part in a soft understanding tone. As angry as she was with him for assuming things, she knew that there was a reason behind his assumption.

"Dan" Nathan said. He walked over to her and sat right next to her, "he said that you would try and get pregnant."

"and you believed him?" when she got no answer she continued, "why would I want to get pregnant, I'm only eighteen. Plus, I'm going to be across the country from you, and I don't think I can raise a child all alone."

"I know, he just got to me" he turned to his side so that he was fully facing her, "you have to believe me when I tell you that I love you, and that I never doubted you. Besides, having kids with you wouldn't be so bad" he teased the last part, "plus, you would be an amazing mother."

"You think?"

"I know" he said kissing her forehead.

"Do I look fat?" she asked. She was currently resting her head on his shoulder as he kept he close by having his arm wrapped around her.

"No" he said certain that she wasn't, "you're perfect."

"So I don't look pregnant?"

"No. But if you were pregnant, you would still be the most beautiful girl in Tree Hill."

"I'm gonna miss you."

Nathan couldn't help but to tighten his grip, "me, too."

They both just sat there, Haley let him keep her close. Neither of them knew how much longer they would have, or how much time they would have to spend together at Duke since he would start basketball camp, but being there with each other made it all better. And even if they did fight, they always found a way to resolve their problems.

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"It's going to be amazing" Brooke said excited.

"I bet" the girl said, "plus, you'll have your sister."

"Actually, Haley's going to be in Cali, she's going to Stanford, but she will spend the summer with me."

"I'm glad" Deb said, she had been talking to Brooke for a bit now, she really liked the girl. "I bet Nate's not taking this so well."

"Actually, he's been great through it all" Lucas said walking up to them and wrapping his arm around Brooke, "he was actually thinking of going with her to Stanford, but Haley said he could that he needed to go to Duke to succeed."

"He told me that, that she was the one to send the acceptance. She's a good girl"

"yeah" Brooke let out, "anyways, we have plans, so we'll let you go."

They exchanged their goodbyes and Brooke and Lucas turned to leave. They had been with their friends and family for a while, but they wanted some alone time.

Finally arriving Brooke walked towards the middle of the court, a place she had come all too familiar with. Lucas walked right behind her and they both sat in the center looking towards the river.

"I'm going to miss this" she said resting her head on his shoulder.

"Brooke, we still have two weeks" Lucas said laughing at how sentimental she was.

"Who cares, I'm still going to miss it. Jake won't be here, neither will Haley, I really won't have a reason to come back for four years."

"How about holidays with my mom?"

"Really?" she asked excited turning to him.

Lucas nodded, "you're part of the family now, well you and Haley both."

"I love you" she said smiling at him and placing a soft kiss on his lips, "don't you ever forget it."

"Never"

They sat there for a while longer and enjoyed the view. Living in an all girls school in California, Brooke never really got to do this kind of things. Haley had to practically beg the nuns to let them go out, but even then they had to be back by eleven. Living in Tree Hill was like living in a place of no harm, you could be out all night and nothing would happen, that was one thing she loved about the small town.

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**Review-**

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- there will be a sequel, and the first few chapters will have lots of BRUCAS, but also some online video chats with Haley._**

**_OTHfan1- my biggest fan, if it's not you kicking my but to update soon it's JustLikeBrookeDavis and I appreciate you both so much for doing that, sometimes a kick in the butt is exactly what I need to get my inspired. Thanks ;)_**

**_Dianehermans- thanks for the review._**

**_KTxx- are you kidding me, I know every single word and song of that movie, it's my favorite I love Nicholas Sparks' work, I am currently reading one of his books and I can't put it down. You should really watch it, you can get it for like five dollars at walmart ;) thanks so much for the review, and I am just about to go read your update. _**

**_AshleyM15U- thanks so much, I hope you liked this chapter._**

**I know it was short and boring ****L, I'm sorry to all you BRUCAS fans. This chapter had very little Brucas, but that's only because the next few chapters will have lots of them, and so will the sequel. The first few chapters of the sequel will have tons of BRUCAS action. Please don't be mad about this crappy chapter.**


	44. Brooke's Plan

Chapter 44-

"This is our last night" Brooke said with a sad tone, she didn't want this to be the end. All thought she knew that she would be seeing her sister, friends, and cousin again, there was something about saying goodbye that she never liked.

Haley hugged her sister and sideways, "it's okay Brookie, we're going to have a blast this summer" she assured.

She was sure about that, the summer would be the best ever. Haley was going to be spending the whole summer at Duke with Brooke, since Brooke really had nothing to do. The only reason Brooke was leaving early was because Lucas had to be there for training camp, as well as Nathan. And even thought Lucas had told her she didn't have to go, she wanted to be with him more than anything. Plus, she did have the great advantage of Haley spending the summer with her.

"I know" Brooke squealed in excitement, "I can't wait."

"Okay, since you are all going to spend the summer together Jake and I want to have a good time today. I don't want sad faces, or watery eyes" Peyton said. She and Jake would be leaving to California in two days. Both of them would be attending UCLA, and even thought they would be closer to Haley, they still didn't want to have sad goodbyes.

"I think we should just watch movies" Mouth said, "I mean, like home movies. You know movies of us as kids, or movies of the games and stuff. I think that would be fun."

That was the moment that Brooke's light bulb lit up, she knew right then what they should do for their last night, as well as the whole school, or at least the people they knew.

"Mouth, you're a genius" she said.

"Thanks" he said, " but I really don't know what you're talking about."

"That's it. WE can have a movie night, but like a school movie night. You know, show videos of basketball games, well just the highlights. Cheer competitions, anything, everyone should be able to enjoy the time before they get to go to college."

"That's not bad" Lucas said jumping on board.

"Okay" Brooke said clapping her hands, "Mouth, you go to school and get videos of all the activities done this school year. Lucas you come with me to get snack and stuff like that. Jake and Peyton, you two make get blankets and couches and stuff-" Brooke said looking at each of the person she was talking to, until she was interrupted.

"From where?" Jake asked.

"I don't know, ask people, figure it out" she said, then she turned to her sister and Nathan. "You two, you go to school and ask principal turner to let you do this on the football field, oh , and make sure you tell everyone to come."

"How are we supposed to tell everyone" Haley asked confused, it's not like she knew everyone in her grade.

"Figure it out, you're dating Mr. Popularity, I'm sure he knew where everyone lives." She then turned to Mouth one more time, "oh, and Mouth, make sure you put the big blow up screen on the field."

"is that all" Lucas asked hoping there wasn't anything else, but not being to overly confident that there might not be.

Brooke thought for a second and gave them a nod, "yeah, that would be all."

Lucas nodded, "okay, then. Let's get this done."

Everyone nodded and went to get their jobs done. Brooke happy that no one really complained about her plan. She had always been the bossy one, but Haley put a stop to it most of the time.

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Mouth, Haley, and Nathan had all gone together to talk to principal turner. One of the reason's being Mouth didn't have a car, and the other, well they were all going to the same place, so why not go together.

"I can't believe your sister" Mouth commented from the backseat.

"That' s Brooke for you, but don't ever ever try to stop her. Trust me, it will only make things worse." Haley knew from experience how Brooke was when she got all pushy.

Putting the car back on park Nathan turned the vehicle off and got out, then waited for the rest to do the same thing. Once that step was done, all three friends began to walk to the school together.

School had only been out for about two weeks. Most of the kids that had graduated would be leaving soon, but most of them waited till a few days before school started to move into their dorm rooms. But since this group of friends liked to do things early, they would be having a goodbye party tonight.

"Mr. McFadden, Mr. Scoot, and Ms. James" Principal Turner said when he saw them walking towards his office.

"Principal Turner" they all said in unison, it actually sounded like they rehearsed it.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Mouth stepped up, "we have a few things to ask" he said.

"Okay" he said crossing his arms and resting his weight on his foot.

"Okay" Haley said, "we need two big favors. One, we need to know if you would let us have a little get together on the football field. You know, just like a last goodbye for our class" she said, and waited for his response, when she got nothing but nod she got a little nervous.

Mouth caught the nerves and jumped in, "and I need to see if we can put up the big blow up screen, and also borrow the videos of different activities we had during the year" he said.

Principal Turner just stood there thinking about it, every second making the student more nervous about the whole thing. "I think that could be adjustable" he said, with a small nod.

"Really?" Haley questioned a little stunned with the whole thing.

"Yes, Ms. James. I trust you, and Mr. McFadden, plus, I think that you guys have a really good idea. Now go get this ready for tonight."

They all nodded and turned around to leave and get to their jobs, the ones assigned by Brooke. But they didn't get far before Nathan turned around, "one more thing. Do you think we can borrow the student list, you know, the one with addresses and phone numbers" he said.

Principal Turner gave him a _Why do you need that for_ look.

"You know, so it's easier to contact everyone. I mean, I know a lot of the students, but I don't really know their numbers and addresses." Nathan waited for the response, and when he finally got the nod he nodded a thanks and turned to walk out with the rest of them.

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"How does she come up with all this stuff?"

"Brooke's always had a very imaginative mind."

Peyton still couldn't believe how Brooke had managed to plan a whole activity within minutes. The idea came to her, and she planned it right on the spot.

"Come on, I think this place will let us borrow a few things" Peyton said pulling her boyfriend along.

Jake walked with her and waited for her to do her thing. Peyton always had a way to convince people to help others, he really never understood how it all worked.

"Welcome guys" the sales guy said, "is there anything I can help you with?"

"Actually, you can" Peyton said.

The guy gave her a nod and waited for her to continue. Peyton took a deep breath and did as it was silently instructed. "you see, tonight is our last night in town, and well, we wanted to throw like last party thing for our class. So, we were wondering if you guys would let us borrow some of your furniture?" she asked hopeful that the guy would say yes, but was really getting no answer.

"I can't do that" he said feeling sorry to deliver the bad news, seeing that Peyton and Jake gave him a defeated look and turned to leave he continued, "but… " when they turned to face him again he continued, "I can talk to the owner about it, and maybe have an answer for you in a little bit."

"Really?" Peyton asked happy to hear that there was a small possibility.

"Yes, just come back in about two or three hours and I'll have an answer for you."

"Thank, man" Jake said.

"No problem, I wish we would have had a party like this when I graduated. You guys have fun."

"Thanks, see ya" Peyton said pulling her boyfriend out the door along.

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"No, Lucas" Brooke yelled, she was getting really frustrated with him. They had been at the store for a while now, and instead of helping her he was slowing things down. He kept putting candy that no one liked in the cart, or he would just put fruits in. Hello, who wanted to eat fruit at a party, no one, that's right, no one.

"Brooke, I like this" he said holding the watermelon in one hand.

"Come on, Luke, we need to get snack people like. You know, chips, candy, pop corn. Oh my god" she said realizing something else." We can have hamburgers and Hot dogs."

Lucas nodded, "nice" he said.

"And Pizza"

"I like the way you think James."

"oh my god" she said again, "Let's get this over with so we can go to costco and get the rest of the things. You know what, let's just get everything there" she said leaving the cart and pulling Lucas out of the store.

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Mouth looked through all the videos, he picked the ones he liked the most and began to take just the exciting pieces of all of them. In the end he was trying to create his own movie, just bits and pieces of every video so that everyone was part of the video. He had great footage, he had some of the cheer competition, and the football finals, basketball, baseball, chess club, drama club, the band, pretty much everyone. He also put pictures form the year book, and killer background music. This video would make everyone cry, and make everyone want to meet the rest of their class.

Proud of his work so far, Mouth stretched and went to the lounge to get a soda. The proud smile never leaving his face.

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"So, Mr. Popularity" Haley said holding onto his arm as they walked down the street to the next house.

"Haley" he said warening her not to use the nickname Brooke had given him a few hours ago.

"What? I like it, it has a nice ring to it."

"Come on" he said, "you can't be serious."

"I am" she said, "Who's next" she tried to change the subject.

"Rachel Gatina" he told her and saw her smile fall. If there was one thing Nathan hated, it was the way Rachel had the ability to change happy Haley to sad Haley or pissed of Haley so fast. Every time Rachel's name was mentioned Haley's mood and expression would change super fast.

"I can't…"

"Hales, come on, don't let her get to you."

"I can't, Nathan. I can't see her, or talk to her. I can't"

"Fine" he said, "we won't invite her" he said pulling her face up with his fingers touching her chin.

Haley shook her head, "she's part of our class, she deserves to go."

"But you don't want her there."

"You're right" Haley said, "plus, it's not like she's going to college anyways.

"Let's go" Nathan said pulling her to his side and walking passed Rachel's house.

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"Hey, you're back" he said noticing the couple walking up to him.

"So…"

"yeah" the guy said letting out a breath, he shook his head and continued " he said… YES, he said YES."

Peyton let out a loud scream and jumped on Jake and kissed him quickly. She was never one to show PDA but this was something that took over her, the excitement she felt at that moment was way over the top, she couldn't control what her body was doing at that moment.

Once she jumped of Jake she hugged the guy, "thank you, thank you, thank you" she said and pulled away.

Stunned he turned to Jake, "he has a party truck packed to go, he said you can just take that. But, he needs to have a copy of the driver's license."

Jake pulled out his license and handed it to him. After few minutes the boy came back with the license and the keys, "here you go, you're ready to go. Just make sure to bring this back by noon tomorrow."

Jake nodded and took the keys, "thank you."

"Have fun" he yelled as the couple exited the store.

Peyton jumped on the passenger side, "can you believe this" she said still shocked that they allowed them to borrow this stuff.

"Not really" Jake said, "but let's get this to the school so we can set it up.

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Brooke and Lucas had gotten pretty much every thing they needed for the party. Patties, hot dogs, buns, ketchup, tomatoes, pickles, etc.

"How about dinks?" Lucas asked.

"Coke" Brooke said, it was her favorite drink and there was no way in hell they weren't going to have it. "Oh, and Dr. Pepper, and Sunkist. Haley only drinks Dr. Pepper or Sunkist."

"Well, I only drink Sprite" he said putting a box of Sprite cans in the huge cart.

"Okay" she said and waited for him to put more drinks in the cart.

"you think that's enough?"

"yeah" Brooke said nodding, "this are people, not animals."

Lucas nodded and pushed the cart to the register. After having all their items being scanned Brooke paid and they left the place.

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Mouth had everything set up, the projector, the screen, and his computer, he even had the speakers ready to go. He was so excited for the rest of the people to see how the video had turned out, he was so proud of himself for the job he had done.

Jake and Peyton pulled up and got out of the big truck, then they called Mouth over to help them take down all the couches and stuff they had gotten.

"Did you guys robbed IKEA?" Nathan asked joking as he approached them.

Jake turned and shook his head, "Naa, Peyton got this furniture store to lend us this furniture" he said putting the couch on the floor.

"Well, let's get it set up" Nathan said and helped the guys get the stuff out of the truck.

Not long after Lucas and Brooke got to the scene of it all and helped as well, well, just Lucas. Brooke was too busy bossing around Haley and Peyton to help her set everything for the food. She had them set tables with the ketchup and stuff, and one with the bread and meats. Then she had Mouth set up the grill. After all the bossing around she noticed that everything was ready, the placed looked awesome. There were couches all around the field and mattresses in the middle. They had a table set with tons of blankets, just in case anyone got cold. They had the food table, the drink table, and the chips table, everything looked perfect, now all they needed was for the rest of the graduated class to arrive.

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**REVIEWS RESPONSE-**

**_JustLikeBrookeDavis- Thanks for your review, I'm glad you liked the story. And get yours up soon, still waiting. Hahaha =D_**

**_KTxx- One more chapter to go. As for Lucas and Nathan, they are half brothers on this one, but they get along. Also a walk to remember, I am so glad you watched it, it's an awesome move I LOVE IT and watch it all the time ahah, totally obsessed with it. I love that you wrote a long review, I really enjoy reading them. Thanks !=D_**

**_OTHfan1- Totally fine about the review thing, I get it. I was out of town this weekend and didn't read any of the updates I got. Have tons of fun in CALI, I LOVE THE BEACH so enjoy it for me. =D_**

**_Tiffanyyy - Thanks for your review, as for the video chats they will be on the sequel if the readers still want one. Thanks again. _**

**_Dianehermans- thanks so much, and Cupid's Little Helper will be up on Friday. I was going to write yesterday when I got home, but I was so tired that I went straight to bed, I didn't even bother to unpack. _**

**Now, I know that this was a crappy place to end this chapter, but I have to leave the rest for the last one, which will be up next Monday. Also if you guys still want a sequel I need to know, I have a few ideas, but if the readers don't want it, then there really is no point on writing it. **

**Thanks so much for reading, and don't forget to tell me what you thought. **

**ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT. =D**


	45. Goodbye

Chapter 45-

The party had gone great. Mouth had videos of most of the class members, well at least the one that participated on school activities. He added music, and the videos shown were just little pieces of each of the activities. After watching Mouth's work of art they watched a movie, and then just continued to have fun. It was after all some students' last night in town.

Pretty much everyone in school had shown up, at least those who were still in town. Rachel luckily didn't go, and both Nathan and Haley were glad, no one really wanted to deal with all the drama that came from Rachel, she always knew how to make people upset.

"It went pretty good, huh?" Brooke asked. Lucas was sitting next to her, while her head rested on his lap and she looked up at him.

He nodded, he was actually pretty satisfied with the outcome of the little party. For being planed in less than ten minutes, the whole thing turned out really good.

"I'm glad Rach-hoe didn't come."

Lucas brushed her hair with his hands, "yeah, she would have ruined it all."

"Yeah" she said, nodding.

"Have you seen Jake?"

Brooke shook her head. She had been so concentrated on making sure that everything went perfect, that she forgot to enjoy the party. "I'm gonna miss him."

"I know" he said, understanding the pain that moving again would cause her.

"I'm glad I'll have you though, I mean, I don't think what I would do there all alone."

"Not to worry, I'll be there to protect you every second of the day, and so will Nathan." Lucas was actually glad that Brooke was going to the same college as him, she didn't want her across the country all alone. Who knows what guys would do, she was a gorgeous girl. He really didn't understand how his brother was so calm about it all.

"Thanks" she said turning to her side. "I love you, Lucas Scott."

"I love you, too, Brooke James."

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"Do you think we should tell them?"

She shook her head, "not tonight, maybe tomorrow."

Jake wanted to tell his cousins so bad the news he had been keeping for the past week. He knew that they would be happy, and that they would be there for him. But it wasn't his secret to tell, at least not alone. This involved both Peyton and him, and he couldn't just go ahead and tell the girls without asking Peyton if it was fine with her.

He nodded and placed a soft kiss on her head, "I'm so happy."

"Me, too. This is a miracle."

"We should get going, I have to take the truck with the furniture back in the morning, and we have to finish packing." He stretched his hand for her to take, once she took it they both began to walk in hopes of finding Haley or Brooke to say goodbye.

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"Stop…St…Stop, please"

Nathan had no intention of stopping his little tickle war. He knew that Haley could never beat him, and that she was fast or strong enough to get him back, so he just kept tickling her until it became hard for her to breath.

"Fine" he said sitting her on the couch next to him.

"God" she let out exhausted, "I can't believe you did that." She picked up her legs and laid them on the couch as well, now laying on it completely.

Nathan stared at her and found it not fair for her to take over the couch. Being the person that he is, he scooted her to the edge of the couch and jumped in the space left between her and the back rest, then he wrapped his arms around her making sure she wouldn't fall.

"This feels good" she admitted, Being in his arms was one of the many things she was going to miss while she was at Stanford; it was one of the things that had her debating on going.

"Are you excited about school?"

Haley semi nodded. In a way she was excited, she loved school and Stanford was _the_ school. But the thought that Nathan wouldn't be there, or Brooke for that matter always made her frown just a bit. "I guess."

"You guess" he said lifting his head, "Hales, Stanford is your dream." He shifted a little and turned her to face him. "Promise me something."

She nodded, and looked straight into his eyes. The blue eyes that had made her go crazy when she met him.

"Promise me you'll have fun, and that you'll make the best of your time there. Okay?" He caressed her cheek and waited for her to nod, but the nod never came. Not a little one, not even a simple yes. "Haley, you have to promise me."

She nodded her head slowly, letting a single tear drop. "I promise."

"Now why are you crying" he asked, carefully wiping the tear away. "You're going to have a blast. You said it yourself that Alice and Jill will be there." He saw another tear fall, and another one after that. "Come here" he said pulling her close to his chest and cupping the back of her head, "I just want you to have a good time, Hales. Me telling you to have fun doesn't mean I don't love you, because I do. If it was up to me you know I would be there with you. But you accepted my scholarship, I can't turn it down now."

"I know" she said to his shirt. "I'm just going to miss you."

"I'll miss you, too, baby girl. But we'll do skype, and you'll visit me and I'll visit you."

"I just don't want to be alone." She pulled away and rested her palm on his chest and looked straight into his eyes. "Brooke's going to have Lucas, and Jake and Peyton will be together. Why do I have to be alone?"

"Because you want to follow your mother's footsteps." He said wiping just another tear from her eyes. "Now come one, stop crying. I don't like to see tears in your pretty eyes."

Haley nodded, she didn't understand why was it that she got such a sweet boyfriend. After her relationship with Brandon she didn't think she would ever find such a nice guy, but here he was. He was laying next to her trying to make her feel better about her decisions, telling her that it was okay to be different, and that no matter what he would be there for her and love her.

"Come on, let's get you home" he said pulling her up with him.

Haley did as told and walked right next to him, she could feel his hand on her waist as he tried to still keep her close. Smiling at his touch she looked up at him, "will you spend the night?"

Nathan looked down at her, "of course."

They both began to walk in hopes of finding Brooke and Lucas, it was getting late and principal Turner said that they could only be there until midnight, so they began to look for the other people that would be leaving with them.

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Jake walked up to his cousin and saw her and Lucas talking, he really didn't want to interup them, but he wanted to see if she was also going home.

"Brooke" he said walking up to them.

"Hey" Brooke replied looking at her cousin and his girlfriend who were standing in front of her.

"We're gonna head out" he said, "I'll spend the night at Peyton's tonight, so I'll see you in the morning before we leave."

Brooke nodded letting a single small tear fall, she hugged her cousin tightly without wanting to ever let go of him, she was going to miss him, his protectiveness, him being there whenever she needed him, just all of him. "I'm going to miss you J.J." she said pulling away, wiping the tear with the back of her hand.

"I'll be in the same country, Brooke. You can come visit any time you want."

She smiled and hugged him once more, "I know, don't expect me not to hold you to that."

"What's all the crying for?"

"Oh" Brooke said walking to her sister and holding her tight.

"What's wrong, Brooke?"

"I'm gonna miss you, sis."

Haley pulled back form her sister, "you do realize I'll be spending the summer with you, right?"

Brooke nodded, "why did we all pick to go to school in different places, why didn't we all just go to Duke?"

"Because some of us need other schools to perfect our skills" Peyton said.

The group kept talking about schools, and how much they would miss each other, even Mouth was part of the conversation now. Brooke continued to kiss and hug everyone telling them how much she would miss them.

Haley kept herself close to Nathan, she knew that she had to enjoy the time she had with him. Yeah, she was going to spend the summer with them, but she didn't know how much of him she would see since he would be at training camp.

Everyone talked for a bit longer, then the guys loaded the truck with the furniture they had borrowed and the field was once more empty and clean. They looked back at the place and felt sad at leaving the place behind, now they wouldn't be back. The place that had changed them all, and had made them friends was gone. Not literally, but they would no longer be high school students.

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It had been a week since the party, and it was their turn to leave. Nathan had the car all packed up and ready to go, as did Haley. She wouldn't really be driving to California, but she was going to let Brooke have the car while she was at Duke.

Mouth had left two days ago, but he flew to New York, he wasn't going to need a car in the city filled with cabs. He was nervous about starting, but it was what he wanted and the excitement eventually came to him.

Jake and Peyton had left the day after the party as planned. However they did give the group their big news in the morning. To say that they were all shocked, but happy shocked was nothing. Brooke was jumping off the walls in excitement, she couldn't believe the news. Haley was also happy, and she was happy for Jake and Peyton as well.

After the party Nathan had spent the night at Haley's as promised, and so did Lucas. Maybe sleep wasn't really part of the night, but they spent the night together nonetheless.

Now they were packed and ready to go. Both cars ready to be driven. Lucas wasn't taking a car, so he would be driving Haley's with Brooke, and Haley was riding with Nathan in his SUV.

"Ready?" he asked, looking to the passenger side.

Haley nodded, "ready."

With that he began to drive and pulled out.

Haley watched behind the car and she could see her little bug right behind her, she could also see the town that had changed her life being left behind. She turned to face forward and smiled at the upcoming adventure.

Brooke waved through the window and turned to her boyfriend who was next to her, "I'm gonna miss this town, but I'm glad we get to have our own adventure now."

Lucas smiled and grabbed her hand. With that both cars drove off, and a new chapter would soon begin in the life of the two girls.

THE END…

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**There it is, the last chapter in my baby. I would like to thank all of you who have been with me through the journey of this story. This story is very special to me, it's my first and I am so happy that you all like it. I am going to do a sequel, so no worries about that. **

**Thanks again, and don't forget to tell me what you think. Also I have an idea for the title of the sequel, but if you guys have any ideas I would love to hear the. The title I was thinking was 'Learning to Live: The College Years.**

**Thanks again, and until next time.**


	46. note

Hey guys! I know it's been a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time, but the sequel to this story is up. The story it's called Living to Lear, and it basically goes through the struggles of the girls learning to be separated, which I'm thinking won't be that long. The first few chapter just kind of sets up all the drama, which will eventually be what gets the story going.

Don't forget to check it out. And thank once more to all of you who read this story.

=)

here is the link. /s/6377275/1/Living_to_Learn_You_Lived_Now_Learn


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